Panto time – and here’s the show lowdown on what’s on in Lancashire and beyond. We take a look at some of the best tickets and talk to celebrities who are about to dress up and step out on stages to entertain families across the region.
Enjoying being evil
She made her name as one of The Nolans, a wholesome group of singing sisters who had a succession of big hits in the 1970s and 80s. But now Maureen Nolan is enjoying being evil and is looking forward to frightening children.
She will be playing the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the Theatre Royal in St Helens and said: ‘I think if there’s not a child running out scared within a couple of minutes, I’m not doing my job.
‘My sisters and I all played the princesses when we were younger before we all progressed to playing the Fairy Godmother or Wicked Queen and I’ve found that I enjoy being evil and scary.’
And although Maureen – who turned 70 this year – has performed in about 30 pantomimes, she didn’t go to see them as a child.
‘We didn’t ever see a panto in Ireland – we moved to Blackpool when I was eight but I was an adult when I saw my first panto and I remember thinking “Good God, what is this all about?” but it is always so enjoyable.
‘As an actor it’s your one chance to over-act – everything’s so much bigger and more exaggerated in panto and if something goes wrong, you can just do it again – it's all part of the fun.’
And although she’s something of a panto veteran now, this will be her first in St Helens – but not the first time a Nolan has been in panto there. Maureen added: ‘My sister Linda has done panto there before and I remember it being so good. It’s a great venue – very well run and well organised and the people are lovely.
‘When I was in Blood Brothers there was a responsibiltiy to ensure people who had seen the show before enjoyed it as much – and with panto there’s a responsibility to make sure everyone has a great time. It’s an important part of Christmas for so many people and it’s often a child’s first experience of theatre.
‘My job is to be evil, I don’t want it to be a comedy role. I feel like I have done my apprenticeship and I’m an actress now so I can play whatever role is thrown at me so this is a chance to show my evil side.’
* Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is at the Theatre Royal in St Helens from November 30-January 12. sthelenstheatreroyal.com
Sleeping in Southport
There’s trouble afoot in Southportopia – a beautiful princess has been captured by a wicked fairy and awaits her true love’s kiss to wake her from a deep slumber. Audiences at the Atkinson on Lord Street will find out if Prince Lancelot rescues Sleeping Beauty in a show which promises laughter, wonder and a touch of magic for all the family.
The title role will be played by Bolton-born Samantha Richards who said: ‘There’s something for everyone, there’s the adult jokes that the children don’t get and there’s the silliness they enjoy. Being in a pantomime is a different experience to any other kind of show, I think it’s more exciting. It’s a special time in the run up to Christmas.
‘Pantomimes are so important – they are often a child’s first experience of the theatre and I have such good memories of going to watch pantos as a child.’
The show is being produced by KD Theatre Productions and Samantha – who will turn 30 during the run - added: ‘It’s my first time working with the company so I’m excited to get to know them and have some fun. I know James Stirling who plays the King because we’ve just been on tour together.
‘He’s from Brinscall and we were both in Zog and the Flying Doctors which included a show at the Atkinson. It’s a lovely theatre and I’m sure it’s going to be a great show.
‘We’ll have 34 performances from December 6-31 but we get Christmas Day off so that’s a chance to spend time with family and friends – it's all about the food and the music for me.’
Appearing alongside Samantha will be Blue Peter presenter and TikTok star Joel M who will make his panto debut as Presto the Court Jester, Exaucé Yagi as Prince Lancelot, renowned Dame Terry Burns and Coral Mourant as the villain, Carabosse.
* Sleeping Beauty is at The Atkinson in Southport from December 6-31. The show will feature relaxed and captioned performances. theatkinson.co.uk
Back where it all began
As a young member of a Blackpool dance school, Hayley Tamaddon appeared in pantomimes at the resort’s Grand Theatre and even as now she’s an established soap opera star, she is excited to be on the stage.
The former Emmerdale and Coronation Street star, who will appear as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, says: ‘I love doing television but there is nothing like being on stage in a pantomime, the noise, the fun and the audience participation make it so special.
‘I’ve been appearing in pantomimes in Blackpool since I was a child when I was involved in a dance school and it’s amazing to back living and performing in Blackpool. I can’t wait.
'It’s such good fun, everyone just really goes for it in Blackpool, the town really supports its theatres – I'm always blown away by the response of the audience in Blackpool.
‘Pantomimes are special because there’s something there for everyone and for every age. A lot of fairies are quite traditional but one of the reasons I love doing panto for UK Productions is that they let me have a bit of fun with the role – I make it bit northern and quirky.’
Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle is a mainstay of the Grand Theatre and they’ll be joined by Jamie Morris and Tarot Joseph as the Ugly Sisters. The title role will be taken by TikTok sensation Kitty Harris, the daughter of the late ventriloquist Keith Harris.
And Hayley, who has been Kitty’s acting coach for the last couple of years, added: ‘Kitty has a very big social media following but she is so much more than that – she's a very talented performer.
‘She’s been singing and dancing since she was very young but she didn’t go to drama school and she didn’t know how to get into performing without that background. She started with a small role in Emmerdale and went on to bigger role in Greatest Days and she’s recently been the alternate lead in Burlesque and she’s only just beginning. She has a big future ahead of her and audiences in Blackpool are in for a real treat.’
Cinderella is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from December 6 to January 5, 2025.
An enchanting performance
She’s best known for her appearances on television quiz show The Chase, but this Christmas Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan will be swapping the screen for the stage.
The Bolton-born quizzer will be appearing as the Enchantress in Beauty and The Beast at Crewe’s Lyceum Theatre and she’s looking forward to the immediacy of live performance.
‘In television you can wait months or years to find out what people think but with a live show the immediate wall of sound is really special,’ she said.
‘It’s strange the first time you play a villain, the noise you hear is not what you might want – it's always nice to get a big cheer when you walk out but to be met by deafening boos can be bit jarring at first. I got used to it pretty quickly though and started to enjoy it.
‘When I first played a villain I could hear a youngster howling and it was like hearing an ambulance go past – the sound was moving really quickly when the child was under it’s mother’s arm and then a door slammed and I couldn’t hear it. I knew I must be doing something right.’
Jenny grew up in Bolton and as a child she spent a lot of time at the Octagon Theatre. She said: ‘My grandparents had a ramshackle house and they used to put up actors in their spare rooms so we got free tickets to shows. There’s one actor who’s now in Doctors who spent the best part of a year living with them and Matthew Kelly once made us breakfast. He was staying nearby but came round and cooked us all a full English.
‘I still have a place in Bolton and I get back there as often as I can. My family are all there and I am very proud of being from Bolton.’
And she added: ‘The four week run can feel unforgiving but, honestly, we’re all having such fun it seems a shame not to do the show as many times as is humanly possible.
‘Most of the cast of the show are young, enthusiastic people who are full of energy. They’re exhausting! After a long day, I just want to get back to my own place, have a bath, put my feet up and watch Drag Race.’
Beauty and the Beast is at Crewe Lyceum Theatre from December 13 to January 5, 2025. trafalgartickets.com
Living the dream
Comedian Ben Nickless can remember the first time he was caught up in the magic of pantomime, writes John Anson.
‘It was Jack and the Beanstalk with Russ Abbott,’ said Ben who returns to Manchester this Christmas to star as Buttons in Cinderella at the Opera House.
‘I think in those days it was at the Palace but I know I got to see it twice. Both my mum’s works and my dad’s works had trips to the panto every year so I’d get on the coach laid on from Rochdale where I grew up and see the show once before Christmas and once after.
‘I still remember the impact seeing the panto had on me and I knew then, even though I was so young, that I wanted to do that one day.’
Ben has been a mainstay of the region’s biggest pantomime for the past six years and in Cinderella he will once again be reunited with comedy partner-in-crime Jason Manford who plays Prince Charming.
‘We have this natural chemistry which is great,’ said Ben, who TV viewers will remember for reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2022. ‘We do get to have a lot of banter. We’re both chasing the same girl this year but seeing as he’s a prince I think we know how that’s going to end!’
Also returning from last year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, is Myra Dubois as Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother.
‘When you add Myra into the mix, it’s got such great comic potential,’ said Ben. ‘I remember last year being on stage thinking “I’m getting paid to watch these two work”. We had such a great time.’
Now living in Chester, Ben will be able to spend Christmas at home, travelling in for the shows every day.
‘That’s a real bonus,’ he said. ‘The rest of the year I’m doing gigs all over the country but at Christmas I get time with the family which is what we all want to do. For us as performers it’s also a pleasure to be part of everybody else’s Christmas.’
* Cinderella is at Manchester Opera House from December 14 to January 5. atgtickets.com
A new approach
Away from the stage Claire Moore is one of the last people you could ever imagine saying ‘Bah humbug’ to anything. But this festive season, the Bolton-born performer with a peerless West End pedigree is to take on the role of Scrooge in a musical version of A Christmas Carol at The Lowry.
Bolton-born Claire, who lives in Oxford with her husband the award-winning composer and arranger Simon Hale and children Ben and Anna, says: ‘Normally I wouldn’t work away over Christmas but because I can be around family and friends and it’s a show I love, I automatically said “yes”.
‘I still call Bolton home anyway and it’s so exciting to be back at The Lowry – I was there in Calendar Girls the musical a few years ago.’
The idea of putting a new spin on one of Charles Dickens’ most well-known characters also appealed to Claire.
‘Pretty much everybody knows the story even if they have not read the book, there have been so many different versions of A Christmas Carol,’ she said. ‘It’s such a timeless story and, let’s face it, the message has never been more relevant than it is right now.
‘It’s going to be brilliant to look at Scrooge from a woman’s perspective; this spinster, a childless woman who cuts herself emotionally from the world. There’s a lot of fun to be had from delving into that but at the end of the day it’s a family Christmas musical, it’s going to be as close to Disney as you can get.’
In a career spanning 40 years Claire has played virtually every major female role in musical theatre ranging from Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. Most recently she was in Bake Off the Musical in the West End.
‘It doesn’t really happen to a girl from Bolton does it?; she laughs. ‘I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a career and for the fact that I’m still going even though I’m not a young ‘un any more.’
* A Christmas Carol, a production by Hope Mill Theatre, is at The Lowry, Salford Quays from December 6 to January 5, 2025. thelowry.com
