A FORMER I’m a Celebrity winner and a Coronation Street legend head the star-studded cast as pantomime returns to the Grange Theatre in Oldham this Christmas.
Ex Atomic Kitten and 2004 Queen of the Jungle, Kerry Katona, plays evil Carabosse in the Anton Benson Productions adaptation of Sleeping Beauty (December 14, 2021 to January 2, 2022).
Kerry is joined by Bruce Jone – a ka Corrie’s Les Battersby – playing the King and fellow soap actor Simon Jones, better known as Milo Entwistle from Hollyoaks, in the role of Prince Percy.
Completing the cast are: returning Oldham Grange Theatre Panto favourites, Kate Salmon as Fairy Tale, Jeffrey Longmore as Dame Dolly, Chris Jefferies as Wally and Britain’s Got Talent’s Enola Dyer as Princess Aurora. Dancers will be provided by Footlights in Failsworth.
The show is written by Anton, directed by Kate Salmon, choreographed by Beth Portman and Kate Salmon with musical supervision by Ashley M A Walsh and musical direction by Chris Higgins.
The show is set in the Land of Nod, where Princess Aurora is looking forward to celebrating her 18th birthday and meeting the Prince of her dreams just as Perfect Prince Percy arrives from a far-flung Kingdom.
Wally and Dame Dolly are causing mischief and mayhem as the castle comics.
The King is on high alert as it is the night of Carabosse’s evil curse. Will Aurora really prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die?
Fortunately, the calamitous Fairy Tale is on hand to save the day. What could possibly go wrong?
Audiences can expect two and a half hours of toe-tapping song and dance, colourful costumes, fantastic sets and wonderful special effects all wrapped up in a hilarious laugh-a-minute script.
Producer Anton said: “We are thrilled to be back working on live panto in Oldham and with such a fantastic casting line-up.
“Kerry is superb in panto, a real treat and a quintessential baddie. And Bruce is very funny and Nathan a hoot.
“Plus all our returning regulars are at the top of their game to deliver our laugh out loud script with more cheer than you can shake a holly branch at!”
• To book tickets visit www.grangetheatre.co.uk or call 0333 666 33 66.