Julie’s having a ball as Cinders
Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, until Jan 8
Every year when she was growing up, going to the Pavilion pantomime with her grandparents was a memorable part of the festive season for Julie Matheson. So it was a special moment last week when Julie’s little boy, two-year-old Remy, attended his first panto at the Pavilion – with his mum on stage in the lead role of Cinderella.
“Every Christmas Eve, I would go to the Pavilion with my grandparents,” she said.“my little boy came to the show last week with his gran and grandpa and my partner to see his first panto.
“I had talked to him about it, showing him pictures of the costumes so that when he saw me, he would understand. He’s so wide-eyed and takes everything in when he sees new things.”
For Matheson, those annual trips to the panto influenced her when it came to pursuing a career.
“I remember watching the dancers and thinking they looked so glamorous. I watched all the fun happen and joined in with the songs, and it definitely influenced me and spurred me on to go to the local amateur theatre group and continue on with my dance lessons.”
Between pregnancy and lockdown, the actor has missed panto recently, but she already had years of experience. “I was at the Pavilion for a while – first as a dancer, and then dancer and choreographer for a few years, and then just choreography. after that, I did pantos elsewhere, playing the leading lady role, but this is my first lead at the Pavilion. And I’ve never played Cinderella before. It’s such a magical story with the glass slipper and wearing the big ball gown, and I’m really enjoying it.”
After completing a dance course at college in Glasgow, Matheson did a musical theatre degree at London Studio Centre and settled down there, working mostly as a singer in theatre tours, with tribute acts, and in hotel shows. She also taught musical theatre classes, something that came in handy when everything shut during lockdown, and she taught drama to schools online.
After several years in London, she returned home earlier this year.
“We relocated about seven months ago and it’s so nice to be back. Job opportunities came up and I’m very pleased to be home. It felt like the right time, and it’s good to not only come back for work, but also to be close to our nearest and dearest after not seeing them too much for a long time.
“I’ve been teaching musical theatre and dance classes at the Theatre School of Scotland since returning, which has been good, and now also panto. Hopefully I’ll continue to perform as much as I can, but I also enjoy teaching younger people to perform, so that’s something I’ll continue with.”
Matheson has performed with all manner of names during her years in panto, including sitcom stars Barbara Rafferty and Gavin Mitchell when she was playing Snow White at the King’s in Glasgow 11 years ago. this year, she’s sharing the stage with Grado, River City star Stephen Purdon and Liam Dolan, which she says makes it hard to keep a straight face.
“The rehearsals were hilarious, and the three of them are so clever with the way they add physical comedy or oneliners to the script. there’s a lot of laughs during rehearsals but when we’re on stage I need to play the straight role.
“You need to put all your energy into it and then try to rest when not on stage – easier said than done when you have a toddler – but I feel I’ve slipped back into the way of it. I’ve done it for so long that it feels natural and normal to be back at the Pavilion, because I was there for so many years and there are a lot of people still there who I knew before.
“We’re happy to be on stage and you can feel the warmth coming from the audiences, too. It feels like there’s even more energy coming from them after missing out last year.
“Hopefully I’ll continue to do panto for as long as I can and for as long as I’m wanted – there are other characters I can move into as I get older.you just never know what roles will come up.”