Casting Announced For Premiere Of THE MAGIC LAMP At Presidio Theatre

Casting has been announced for the world premiere of the Bay Area's newest holiday show: The Magic Lamp panto at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco December 1-31. The cast for The Magic Lamp features versatile and popular actors including Rotimi Agbabiaka, Sharon Shao, Danny Scheie, Curt Branom, Renée Lubin, JM Appleby, Rinabeth Apostol, Scott Reardon and others (see complete cast list below).

The production features an original script and music--setting the comic action in contemporary San Francisco--brimming with humor, audience participation, dance, magic and hope for the whole family. Panto is a traditional British holiday entertainment that combines slapstick humor, one-line zingers, outrageous characters and send-ups of current events. The creative team and cast bring high-octane credentials to this new show with magnificent costumes, musical parodies, dance, magic and over-the-top silliness.

Twenty-seven performances will be given, including four public preview performances on December 1, 2, 3 and 4-see the complete schedule below. Tickets, priced $10-$75, may be purchased at www.presidiotheatre.org . Families and friend groups of four or more will receive a Family Pack discount of 20%. The Presidio Theatre is located at 99 Moraga Avenue in the historic Presidio of San Francisco.

"Having started out our casting process with the dizzying complications of masks, social distancing and outdoor auditions, I'm excited that we've put together an amazing cast of Bay Area performers with ancestry from four continents," says Tamroz Torfeh, director of The Magic Lamp. "Panto is the most popular form of live theatre in most of the English-speaking world - requiring comedy, dance and musical skills. The cast of The Magic Lamp will bring all of this to the Presidio stage with bells on, plus some holiday glitter!"

The cast for The Magic Lamp includes some of the Bay Area's and the nation's most accomplished and versatile musical comedy actors with credentials ranging from Broadway to American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Rep, CalShakes, Beach Blanket Babylon and others.

Rotimi Agbabiaka (Aladdin)
Sharon Shao (Jazz)
Danny Scheie (Abba)
Curt Branom (Widow Twankey)
Renée Lubin (Genie of the Ring)
JM Appleby (Genie of the Lamp)
Rinabeth Apostol (Sultana)
Scott Reardon (Jarvis)
Matthew Kropschot (Pecker)
Ruby Day (Queenie)
Albert Hodge (Steeny)
Jen Brooks (Preeny)
Jaime Bardacke (Ensemble)
Maggie Connard (Ensemble)
Merrill Grant (Ensemble)
Lauren Howard (Ensemble)
Dian Sitip Meechai (Ensemble)
Paul Renolis (Ensemble)
Gary Stanford Jr. (Ensemble)
Ryan Patrick Welsh (Ensemble)

Cast bios may be found here: https://www.presidiotheatre.org/the-magic-lamp-cast-and-crew/