They shall go to the ball
Fri 29 Jun 2018We are very excited to announce the cast for our panto this year. Drum roll, please…
Leading the cast as Dandini will be Harry Reid, who is best known for his role as Ben Mitchell in the BBC’s EastEnders. He is currently appearing in the highly-acclaimed version of Agatha Christie’s Witness For The Prosecution at County Hall in London.
As previously announced, Phil ‘Mister Maker’ Gallagher will play Buttons. He has appeared in several Marlowe pantomimes (he describes the theatre as his “favourite in the world”), and Cinderella marks his 10th consecutive year with Evolution Productions, who produce our pantomimes.
Joining them will be Sally Lindsay as the Fairy Godmother. She’s had a wide-ranging TV and stage career, but is best known for her five years on Coronation Street, playing barmaid Shelley Unwin. She’s recently appeared in the BAFTA-winning Murdered For Being Different, Still Open All Hours and Mount Pleasant. Her theatre credits include A Taste Of Honey at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, and she also clocked up a stint as a panellist on ITV daytime show Loose Women.
The next member of the cast needs little introduction: our very own Ben Roddy, who this year will be appearing as an Ugly Sister. Cinderella is his ninth panto at The Marlowe and his 13th for Evolution. Last year, he was named Dame Of The Year at The Great British Pantomime awards for his role in Peter Pan, which was seen by more than 100,000 people. He’s currently appearing with Stephen Mulhern in a summer variety tour, and directing and producing Harrogate Theatre’s repertory season.
Also needing little introduction is our other Ugly Sister, Lloyd Hollett: this is his eighth pantomime at The Marlowe. Away from panto, Lloyd regularly performs as a stand-up comedian for Warner Leisure Hotels and on various cruise lines. Lloyd has produced two DVDs and has written for Stephen Mulhern for many years.
Appearing with them will be Oliver Watton (Prince Charming) and Cara Dudgeon (Cinderella). Both have extensive theatre, film and TV credits, and Cara (who has twice been nominated for Best Female in the panto awards), is also a recording artist.
We’re thrilled by this cast, and we can’t wait to bring you another fabulous Marlowe panto!
Cinderella: Friday 23 November to Sunday 6 January – don’t be late for the ball.