Dick Whittington 2017 - Articles Page 8

Soho Theatre has a packed festival programme and recent weeks have seen the cult hit Fleabag break box office records, twelve shows filmed for its fledgling Soho Theatre Live TV and digital offer, two UK tours, and its latest crop of Soho Young Company's Comedy and Writers' Labs commence.

On Tuesday 18 October, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre launched its biggest pantomime to date, ALADDIN, which opens in seven weeks' time on Saturday 10 December.

First Family Entertainment are delighted to announce that renowned choreographer Arlene Phillips will be making her pantomime debut as Fairy Bowbells in New Wimbledon Theatre's Christmas Pantomime, Dick Whittington, from Friday 9 December 2016 to Sunday 15 January 2017, with a press night on Tuesday 13 December.

Over the past eleven years family-run pantomime producers, Evolution Productions have built up a reputation for being the UK's number-one creators of bespoke high-quality pantos. The 2016 line up does nothing to disprove this.  The company, which is run by husband and wife team, former TV presenter Paul Hendy and Oxford graduate and former film production manager Emily Wood, will be presenting a festive banquet of seasonal shows across the country from then end of November 2016 to mid-January 2017.  The line up comprises Dick Whttington starring Stephen Mulhern (ITV's Catchphrase, Big Star Little Star) as Billy at The Marlowe in Canterbury, Peter Pan starring Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell - Eastenders) as Tinkerbell and Shaun Williamson(Barry Evans - Eastenders and himself in Extras) at The Hawth in Croydon, Sleeping Beauty at Lichfied Garrick Theatre starring Rebecca Keatley (CBeebies) as Fairy Moonbeam and the great dame himself Sam Rabone as Nurse Nellie, Snow White at The Lyceum Theatre Sheffield starring Wendi Peters (Coronation Street - Cilla Battersby- Brown) and Phil Gallagher(CBeebies - Mister Maker), Snow White at The Alban Arena St Albans starring Rita Simons(Eastenders - Roxy Mitchell) and Ian Kirkby (Dick & Dom In Da Bungalow), Cinderella at Theatre Severn Shrewsbury with panto favourite Brad Pitt and Peter Pan at the Octagon Theatre Yeovill starring supervillain Andrew Fettes as Captain Hook. 

Cambridge Arts Theatre is delighted to announce that Eastenders' bad boy, Paul Nicholas will lead the cast of its 2016 family pantomime, Dick Whittington and his Cat.  Fresh from playing on-screen baddie Gavin Sullivan in Eastenders, the BAFTA nominated Just Good Friends star will play the despicable and cunning baddie King Rat. With a career spanning over 40 years, including starring roles in Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair and Grease, as well as a successful pop career and many TV and film roles, Paul will be spending Christmas in Cambridge to wreak havoc in true panto style.

Hundreds of people came to the venue for exhibitions, performances, tours and workshops, and the gala, which featured some of the shows seen at the theatre in the last five years, and those to come. There were appearances by the National Theatre's War Horse, the Royal Shakespeare Company's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Northern Ballet's Jane Eyre, and the musicals Chicago, Mamma Mia!, and The Bodyguard. Glyndebourne Opera, ZooNation Youth Company and the Philharmonia Orchestra were also represented.

Hackney Empire today announced the full cast of its brand new pantomime for 2016, Sleeping Beauty. The West End's leading lady Alexia Khadime (Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King) will be returning to the site of her stage debut to star as Princess Tahlia (Sleeping Beauty). She will be joined by Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke who returns to Hackney Empire after her appearance in Mother Goose in 2014. They are joined by Gavin Spokes who makes his dameing debut, he joins the Hackney Empire family straight from his Olivier Award-nominated performance as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls in the West End.

Soap star royalty arrived in Birmingham this week as Britain's favourite soap baddie, Steve McFadden paid an exclusive visit to the city's premiere theatre in countdown to the arrival of Birmingham's biggest panto!

Following last year's record-breaking production of Aladdin attended by nearly 120,000 people, Birmingham Hippodrome is thrilled to play host to another unmissable pantomime production of the rags-to-riches tale, Dick Whittington, this Christmas season. Scroll down to meet the cast!

Natasha J Barnes who will play the title role of Cinderella, Suzie Chard and Wendy Sommerville who will play The Wicked Stepsisters complete the casting for the London Palladium Pantomime this Christmas. They join the previously announced Paul O'Grady (The Wicked Stepmother), Julian Clary (Dandini), Amanda Holden (The Fairy Godmother), Lee Mead (Prince Charming), Paul Zerdin (Buttons), Nigel Havers (Lord Chamberlain) and Count Arthur Strong (Baron Hardup).

Budding performers from across Coventry and Warwickshire are once again being given the chance to audition for the Belgrade's annual family pantomime on Sunday 4th September which could see them land a role in the panto chorus.

Paul Hendy's The Last Laugh was named Best Comedy Drama at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. The short film features comedians Eric Morecambe (played by Bob Golding), Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams) and Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright) in a dressing room discussing the secrets of comedy - but the dressing room isn't all as it seems.

Coventry's Belgrade Theatre has today announced full details of the shows to feature in its Autumn 2016 Season which include a brand new production of original British rock 'n' roll musical, Roll Over Beethoven from the director of Three Minute Heroes, the UK premiere of Ostrich Boys in B2, based on the award-winning novel by Keith Gray and the return of Birmingham comedy-legend Jasper Carrott and award-winning impressionist Alistair McGowan to the Midlands from Tues 14 - Thurs 16 Mar 2017.

Award-winning writer Tanika Gupta returns to Theatre Royal Stratford East to debut her hilarious and uplifting new comedy LOVE N STUFF on the Main Stage - three years after its first successful run in the Studio. Love N Stuff audience favourite Rina Fatania returns to play the role of Bindi and will be joined by new lead Nicholas Khan in the role of Mansoor. This funny, fast-paced and engaging show sees two actors playing a breathtaking 20 characters and is set to have audiences laughing out loud. Directed and designed by Kerry Michael (Artistic Director, Theatre Royal Stratford East) the show will run from Friday 3 June until Saturday 25 June.

Initial casting is announced today (26 May 2016) for Qdos Entertainment's London Palladium production of Cinderella.  The 32 strong cast will be led byPaul O'Grady as The Wicked Stepmother, Julian Clary as Dandini, Lee Mead as Prince Charming, Paul Zerdin as Buttons, Nigel Havers as Lord Chamberlain and Count Arthur Strong as Baron Hardup.  The roles of Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother and the Ugly Sisters will be announced soon. 

?Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham, today announces the full cast for the UK premiere of The Invisible Hand - a political thriller from Ayad Akhtar who won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Disgraced which ran at the Bush Theatre in 2013.

TOP television presenter Stephen Mulhern is the star of Dick Whittington, this year's Marlowe Theatre pantomime.

?Wolverhampton Grand Theatre today announce that X Factor winner Joe McElderry will star in the title role of this year's magical pantomime adventure - ALADDIN.

A RECORD number of people saw Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. The venue played to more than 99 per cent capacity.