The Hilarious Fraser Boyle and Gary Morrison Return for the Kilmarnock Panto

After a hugely successful festive season with Beauty and the Beast, the Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock are already looking forward to their 2017 pantomime Dick Whittington and they are especially delighted at the return of two of their 2016 panto stars, Fraser Boyle and Gary Morrison.

Fraser Boyle will once again don a dress as Sarah the Cook while Gary will play Idle Jack.

The duo proved hugely popular with audiences and critics and were called an “expert slapstick team” by Ayrshire Magazine when they teamed up for the first time last year.

Fraser, who was described as “cheerfully cheeky” by the Kilmarnock standard says “Working with Imagine Theatre and the Palace Theatre was such a fantastic experience. Everyone was so professional and good humoured. We had some laughs backstage! Plus the audiences at Kilmarnock are a riot - you never know what you're going to get! That makes pantomime for me, the fabulous audience. The Kilmarnock lot are my kind of people! I'm so pleased and excited to be back and I'm looking forward to Christmas 2017 already."  

After a well earned break in January, Fraser is going to be touring The Dolls Abroad across Scotland this Spring – including a visit to the Palace Theatre.

Gary will be spending much of 2017 working with a Rep company in the North West of England but he also cannot wait to be back in panto.

“I think the thing that stands out for me each time I have played The Palace is the level of support from the wonderful audiences we had for every performance. They are always full of energy with lots of laughs and I cannot wait to return for Dick Whittington.”

Steve Boden, Managing Director of Imagine Theatre who produce the pantomime, says “we are delighted to have Fraser and Gary back this year as the audiences absolutely loved them and they are both an absolute pleasure to work with. This year’s Dick Whittington will be an absolutely brilliant show, especially with Fraser and Gary’s sense of fun, and I know the Palace audience are going to love it.

Dick Whittington runs from Saturday 25 November to Saturday 30 Dec 2017.

JP and Sean Back for the Spa Centre Panto

It may only be March but plans for the Royal Spa Centre’s spectacular family pantomime Sleeping Beauty are already underway and they are delighted to announce the return of panto favourites J P McCue and Sean Dodds.

The duo have become part and parcel of the Leamington panto over the last few years and this will be JP’s sixth year at the Spa Centre.

“I LOVE working at The Spa Centre as it has such a family feel to it, from the technical team to front of house and box office staff and the cast old and new, it's such a welcoming place to call home for the festive season.  Leamington itself is so beautiful with all the decorations, Christmas markets and shopping! PLUS it has the fanciest Wagamamas I've ever eaten in!”

I really enjoy playing Dame because of all the naughtiness I can get up to in the show. I love all the stories we get to tell in panto but I also adore the madness and the laughs we throw in too. Even the ones none of us see coming!”

JP spends much of the year abroad but Christmas just would not be the same without a return to the UK for panto: “When I am over here I miss the sun of course, as even though I'm Scottish I'm not great with the cold, and I miss my wonderful partner and my beautiful dog Apple, but they'll be over to see the panto, and I hope all of our brilliant audience members will be in again this year! You won't want to miss it!” 

 For Sean, who will be spending his fourth year at the Spa Centre, he feels Leamington is a home away from home.  “The thing I love about the Spa Centre is that it's more than just a theatre… it's a cafe, a cinema and for me, a Christmas home! I also love the atmosphere in Leamington at Christmas time - the lights make everywhere so magical! When you're walking around the town it's a great feeling and it really gets you in the Christmas spirit!”  

 Before panto season arrives Sean will have a busy year doing some filming as well as running his own company specialising in children’s magic and entertainment.

 Steve Boden, Managing Director of Imagine Theatre who are consultants to Warwick District Council on the pantomime, says “we are delighted to have both JP and Sean back for another season. They are both brilliant performers and the audiences absolutely adore them – you never know what is going to happen when those two are together on stage but you can be sure it will be great fun!”

Don't miss out on the hilarious antics of this expert slapstick duo when Sleeping Beauty opens on Saturday 2 December 2017.

River City Star Forced to Withdraw From The Palace Theatre Panto

The Palace Theatre have to sadly announce that River City star Billy McElhaney has had to withdraw from their production of Beauty and the Beast due to ill health.

 Billy was due to play the role of Angus, downtrodden servant and all round dogsbody to the Beast. This role will now be taken on by the hugely experienced Paul Morrow.

 Paul is no stranger to pantomime having appeared in both Aladdin and Cinderella. He has also starred in Macbeth, Great Expectations and Sunset Song amongst others. On television he has appeared in Emmerdale, Taggart and Monarch of the Glen.

 Steve Boden, Managing director of Imagine Theatre who produce the pantomime, says

“We are very sad that Billy will no longer be able to be part of the pantomime and we wish him all the best. We are very grateful to Paul Morrow for stepping in at the last minute. Paul is a really talented actor and we feel very fortunate to have someone of his calibre taking on the role at such short notice.”

 Beauty and the Beast, written by panto king Alan McHugh, also stars River City’s Sally Howitt in the role of Deadly Nightshade, with Fraser Boyle as Dame Betty and Garry Morrison as Boabby.

 The panto opens on Saturday 26 November and runs until Friday 30 December.

Grimsby auditorium panto cast ready for a flying start!

The panto mayhem begin recently for the Grimsby Auditorium magical family panto Aladdin when the cast got together for the photo shoot.

Joining the previously announced Coronation Street bad boy Nigel Pivaro as Abanazar are Phil Hoyles as Widow Twankey, Gareth Bennett-Ryan as Wishee Washee, Mary Viscomi as Aladdin, James Houlbrooke as Genie and Helena Gullan as So Shi / Spirit of the Ring.

Phil and Gareth are bringing a local flavor to the show as both of them were raised in Grimsby, where their families still live and Gareth even worked at the venue including being a spotlight operator for panto!

For Phil playing the iconic role of panto dame in his home town is a real honour. He says “I always see Grimsby as my hometown and no matter where I am living or working, Grimsby is still my home.  As they say, you can take the boy out of Grimsby, but you can’t take Grimsby out of the boy!”

Nigel Pivaro has fond memories of a previous appearance at the Auditorium and is looking forward to be being back there at Christmas. “I remember appearing at the Auditorium when I was doing the tour of John Godber’s Bouncers quite a few years ago now but it stays in my mind as the venue was packed with a really appreciative audience who loved the show.”

For Lincoln’s Mary Viscomi this will be her second panto at the Auditorium having played Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk two years ago.

“I am happy to be back at the Auditorium this year as it is a great venue, and it also means I get to spend Christmas with my family. I was in Barnstaple last year which I really enjoyed but it is a long way from home.”

Another returnee is James Houlbrooke who will once again Choreograph the panto as well as playing the flamboyant Genie of the Lamp.

“Starring in the panto as well as choreographing it is always a challenge, particularly as it can be hard to tell what a scene looks like when you are appearing in it rather than watching it. However, the Genie is a brilliant role and I absolutely can’t wait to get started.”

Don’t miss out on seeing this fabulous cast. Aladdin runs for two weeks only from Friday 9th until Monday 26th December 2016.