Genieus decision by panto starTony

Aladdin, Swansea Grand Theatre

THE wait is over - Swansea Grand Theatre have unveiled the headline star of their 2017 panto.

Swapping the Costa Blanca for Swansea Bay, Benidorm’s Tony Maudsley will aim to make our wishes come true as the Genie of the Ring when Aladdin opens in December.

He will join the previously announced returning favourites Kev Johns and Matt Edwards for the city’s biggest theatre show of the year, which annually attracts more than 30,000 people.

Tony is best-known for playing the lovable Kenneth DuBeke in the longrunning ITV comedy Benidorm.

He made his pantomime debut for producers Qdos Entertainment last year, and will be taking a break from the hairdressing salon this Christmas to spend the festive season in Swansea.

On the big screen, he voiced the giant Grawp in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, appeared alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, in Vanity Fair with Reece Witherspoon, and in Bright Young Things, directed by Stephen Fry and which also featured Port Talbot’s Michael Sheen.

On the small screen, he joined supersleuth David Suchet in Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Sky Living’s The Spa and ITV’s Northern Lights.

Award nominations include Best Actor and Best Newcomer by the Royal Television Society, and previous theatre credits include the musical matriarch Edna Turnblad in a UK tour of the musical Hairspray.

“After making my panto debut for Qdos Entertainment last year, I’m honoured to have been asked back and delighted to play Swansea Grand this year,” says Tony. “Swansea is such a great city and I can’t wait to spend the Christmas season there with Kev and Matt and the whole company. It’s going to be a fantastic show.”

Aladdin will be at Swansea Grand Theatre from Friday, December 15, until Sunday, January 14, 2018. To book contact box office on 01792 475715 or go online http://www. swansea.gov.uk/swanseagrandtheatre