It’s mid-June, the sun is out, and now’s the time to be thinking of panto ... oh yes it is!
Last week, The Hexagon welcomed its 2022 panto stars for a catch-up. It might be hot, hot, hot, but preparations are well underway for when it’s cold, cold, cold. PHIL CREIGHTON slaps his thigh
THE SUN might be shining, the ice creams might be out, but there’s one thing for sure … the beanstalk is growing. Last week, stars from The Hexagon’s pantomime came together to launch this year’s show, Jack and the Beanstalk.
Returning will be the hilarious double act of CBeebies megastar Justin Fletcher and dame Paul Morse. Also coming back again will be Rachel Delooze as the Fairy, and Ryan Alexander Full who will play Fleshcreep.
It might seem a daft time of year to be talking Christmas but preparations for the show are in full steam, with open auditions for the junior ensemble taking place at the Queens Walk theatre on Sunday, June 26.
The show is once again being produced by Imagine Theatre for The Hexagon, and Mr Fletcher will also be writing the script.
Paul said: “It’s lovely to be back … this is the starting gun for Christmas. Even though it’s June, we are now counting down to panto coming back.
“It’s been lovely to see Justin and some great cast members from last year coming back. We just know it’s going to be a great, great show.”
Imagine Theatre’s director, Steve Boden, is thrilled to be back. He’s taking Justin Fletcher’s ideas and turning them into reality, and with no covid restrictions.
“Justin and I are really looking at how we retell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk in a fun and modern way. Without giving too much away, there’s
going to be a lot of comedy, a lot of fun, and some brand-new routines,” he says.
“I think particularly for the younger audience, they’ll discover the story in a way that perhaps they’ve not seen before. All the classic ingredients will be there: the giant, the beanstalk, the beautiful cow Buttercup, and some great characters.”
Steve is delighted that Justin will once again team up with his panto partner, Paul Morse.
“It’s so nice that the pair of them have such a great rapport together and audiences react so strongly to them,” he explains.
“People message us all year round, telling us there’s certain parts of the pantomimes they just love seeing – they love the slapstick routine, they love the ghost routine.”
But, he promises, there will be some new material too.
Rachel is excited to return for her third year, and will once again be appearing as the fairy.
“It’s such a fun role, I love being the magical one that’s sometimes a bit cheeky, sometimes a bit wicked,” she says. “And I
love being able to cast my magical spells on the other cast members.”
And Ryan will be playing the villain for the second year in a row, after his comic turn as Bear Bottome last year saw him as, well, the butt of the jokes.
“When they asked me to come back, there was no hesitation in my mind whatsoever, I absolutely loved my time here last year,” he says.
“What I love about walking into The Hexagon is that nice family feel,” he says. “You see so many people, who are all really lovely, and they will really get involved with the panto, it’s a nice team, with a family vibe.
“It’s really nice to be back.”
He says his part will be similar in many ways to last year’s show.
“He’s going to be this sort of villain who thinks he knows more than the others … it’s gonna be fun.”
Tickets for the show are now on sale. It opens on Saturday, December 3, and continues until Monday, January 2. For more details, log on to whatsonreading. com or call the box office on 0118 960 6060.