The Pantomime has long been an established part of Christmas, as parents struggle to find ways to entertain their children during the school holidays. With cities up and down the country putting on all-star cast performances, Stoke-On-Trent, Wolverhampton and London being great examples, there is plenty of choice for all budgets when it comes to picking your show this year.
Stoke’s Regent Theatre’s production this year is Aladdin, a firm family favourite which is guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face. Leading man Joe Swash, famous for playing Mickey Miller in the BBC soap Eastenders and winning ITV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, says “I’m really excited about coming to Stoke- on-Trent this Christmas. I’ve heard great things about the city and the warm receptions give at The Regent. We’re going to have some fun with the panto this year!”
But does using a celebrity necessarily benefit the pantomime they star in, or would casting lesser-known actors following an audition process be just as successful?
Production team for this year’s Regent Theatre performances, Pele Productions Ltd, certainly seem to believe that the prestige brought to a show by casting someone in the public eye can benefit the panto’s ticket sales enormously. The husband and wife team Viv and Jim Wells are known for their 2008 runaway success with The Wizard of Oz at Salford’s The Lowry, in which they cast original Dorothy Judy Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft. Additionally, in their twelve years of pantomime and musical production they have worked with names such as comedian John Bishop, Shane Lynch and Paul Nicholas to name but a few.
As well as boosting ticket sales, the casting of celebrities in panto can draw attention to the commercial property in which the show is set, the theatre. In the current economic climate, many people cannot afford to attend performances all year round and so local theatre businesses can often struggle to make ends meet, finding essential maintenance costs too much. Also, many people would choose to spend their money on activities such as the cinema instead of visiting their local theatre, meaning that many of these commercial properties lose their market to big budget movies.
Of course, stage show Meccas such as London’s West End, and even Stratford-Upon-Avon, home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, do not struggle to attract audiences due to their international renown within theatrical circles. Occasionally utilising stars such as Sir Ian McKellen for a season, ensures they remain in the forefront of the audience’s mind – but of course, this is not achievable by smaller theatres operating on a much lower budget. Instead, they often choose to hire a well known public figure to draw crowds around Christmas.
Many people these days prefer to travel to London to see pantomimes, rather than supporting their local theatres. Of course, London has a lot to offer, with various productions such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. However, if you decide to support your local theatres, Aladdin at the Regent Theatre in Stoke and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Wolverhampton promise to be top quality entertainment. So get ready to boo, hiss and shout “He’s behind you!”, wherever in the country you are this Christmas.
