IT has been 18 months since Urmston Musical Theatre last appeared on its home stage at Urmston Leisure Centre due to refurbishment.

Undeterred, it is presenting an Easter pantomime Humpty Dumpty, at Wellacre Academy from April 9 to 13.

The director, Rik Gaffney, has been a member for 20 years, and this is the fourth panto he has directed.

At the time of going to press, his daughter Pollyanna, with fiancée Alexandra, will be two-and-a-half weeks old.

As well as sleepless nights, Rik is working full time as a process engineer, but, despite all this, he insists Humpty will be a really good show.

“Six children will perform some complicated dances and there’ll be lots of singing, especially for the kids,” said Rik.

Rachel Mellor will play Humpty Dumpty, but she won’t hurt herself when she falls off the wall because she will be wearing a basket woven costume made by treasurer, Alan Pickwick.

In this case, the King has one horse, Marmaduke, and two men called General Mayhem and Reggie Mental.

Rik said: “We will have a character called Topsy Turvy who will ask the kids to guard his Easter egg ­— and there will be little Easter eggs for them, too.

“The biggest challenge for me has been how to make the panto fit on the much smaller Wellacre Academy stage

“It will be very family and child orientated.”

Humpty Dumpty will run at Wellacre Academy, Irlam Road, Urmston, from Tuesday, April 9, to Saturday, April 13, with two Saturday matinees. Tickets can be purchased from the UMT website, UMT.org.uk