Seventh heaven!
Panto funnyman Matt Slack tells ROZ LAWS about his romantic proposal... and how he’d been walking on a broken foot for six weeks
MATT Slack has Birmingham Hippodrome audiences in tears of laughter every year with his hilarious panto antics. But now, as he prepares to star in his seventh consecutive annual show, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he’s the one choking up with emotion, remembering a particularly poignant moment from the past year.
Matt reveals a soft side that’s normally hidden from audiences, as he tells all about his romantic engagement to fiancée Jess.
He says: “I popped the question on holiday in Dubai.
“I had learned a song on the ukulele from The Wedding Singer – I Wanna Grow Old With You. I’d hidden the ukulele in a restaurant where we went for dinner, then when she wasn’t looking I pulled it out and started to sing.
“It was hard to sing because I was so choked up, and Jess was crying too. I got through it then did the traditional one-knee proposal with a very nice diamond ring. I think I nailed it! I am a real romantic.
“We’re getting married in June in a 14th century castle in Gerona, Italy. Jess deserves a very special day because she puts up with a lot from me. She sees the other side of me – I can’t always be the funny guy. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into starring in panto and Jess bears the brunt of that. I drive her mad sometimes but she’s an incredible support.”
This year is a return to Snow White for Matt, who first played it at the Hippodrome in 2013. Since then he’s shared the stage with the likes of Stephanie Beacham, Julian Clary, Beverley Knight and Marti Pellow. He’s clocked up more than 430 appearances and 1,000 hours. No wonder he has a seat named after him in the stalls of what has become his second home.
But while Matt loves Birmingham, it’s not always smooth sailing. Last December his co-star Jimmy Osmond, 55, was taken ill during a performance as Captain Hook in Peter Pan. He carried on and went to hospital when the curtain fell, then home to America for further treatment for a stroke. In August his brother Merrill said a return to the stage was “off the cards”.
Matt says: “It was horrendous. It came as a complete shock, but the show must go on and it did. The understudy went on to begin with and did an incredible job. I made a joke of it, as Jimmy’s illness wasn’t public then.
“Then we adapted the script for Darren Day and it worked. It was a tough time because Jimmy is so loved. It was tragic. I lost a mate and I gained one in Darren. The audiences were great and helped us through a tricky and upsetting situation. I wish Jimmy all the best.’’
He adds: “When panto ends, I collapse for a couple of months because I hit a brick wall. Physically and mentally it’s beyond exhausting, particularly last year with the upset of Jimmy.”
As Matt approaches 50, he has to take more care of his health to get him through the rigours of panto season, and he especially has to nurse his voice.
His 2016 appearance was in jeopardy after a nasty virus threatened Matt’s livelihood. He lost his voice and needed drastic medical treatment, involving injections into a damaged vocal cord. Matt went ahead with the show, taking out some impressions and songs that called for vocal dexterity. His voice was hoarse but audiences didn’t realise what he was going through.
And this year he has something else to contend with.
“I’ve broken my right foot!” he cries. “I only found out a couple of weeks ago when I was playing golf and I was in agony. I had an X ray and they said it had been broken for six weeks. It was a big fracture but it was healing by itself. I have no idea how I did it.
“There’s always something! But I hope it will be fine for panto. And I know the love I feel from Hippodrome audiences will see me through. It’s amazing and really lovely. Whenever I feel stressed out, I just remember that loyalty from the fans. I do appreciate it and feel very blessed.”
Matt, as Muddles, will be joined on stage by Lesley Joseph, Joe McElderry, Coronation Street’s Faye Brookes, dance troupe Flawless, Black Country comedy creation Doreen Tipton and Jac Yarrow, fresh from his triumph as Joseph at the London Palladium.
Matt loves doing panto but admits he has a yearning to stretch his acting ability.
“I haven’t even scratched the surface,” he says. “I’ve had guest roles in Casualty and EastEnders but I’m really hungry for more dramatic roles.
“Peaky Blinders would be great, I can do the accent. I was up for Game of Thrones three times but didn’t get it. It’s frustrating. I could have been in a brilliant scene which ended with an axe in the back of my head.”
And will he return for his eighth consecutive Hippodrome panto in 2020? Matt says: “I never like to presume or tempt fate”, but don’t bet against it.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs plays Birmingham Hippodrome from December 21 – February 2.