With Halloween and Bonfire Night over, Panto season is well and truly on its way. Get ready for the compulsory shouts of ‘He’s behind you’ and “Oh no it isn’t’, “Oh yes it is!” This year’s festive offering from The Opera House, Manchester is Dick Whittington complete with a host of family friendly celebs to entertain us over the Christmas season.
Ben Faulks aka CBeebies Mr Bloom (and housewives favourite) will be starring as Dick alongside Britain’s Got Talent 2012 winner Ashleigh and Pudsey as Alice and her dog. Other cast members include Opera House panto vetran (this is his 4th one) Tam Ryan as Idle Jack, Eric Potts as Sarah the Cook and bringing a bit of Blackpool sparkle is West End and TV star Jodie Prenger as Fairy Bowbells.
Manchester’s Finest went along to the Dick Whittington press launch to chat Christmas and eat mince pies with one of the panto’s stars Jodie Prenger…
MF: Jodie we love you singing, please say you’re going to be treating us to a few songs in panto this year?
JP: Ooh yes, there’s going to be a Whitney song, a big band number and a massive Tina Turner song at the end…bring it on! I love Tina Turner that much I’ve named one of my chickens after her. I also have one called Ike so there’s Tina and Ike!!
MF: How do you feel about starring in Dick Whittington at Manchester’s Opera House?
JP: Well I’ve been working over Christmas for the past few years-one time was as Nancy in Oliver, another in Spamalot and then last year in One Man, Two Guv’nors so technically this is the first panto I’ve ever done. I had the choice of doing another show in London or a fun show close to home so that’s what I chose! It’s just going to be nice ‘home home’ (as in the North) for Christmas. It will be the first time I’ve been able to do that in a long time so I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
MF: You are one busy lady Jodie. In the past few years you’ve wrote a book, starred in the West End, acted on TV-what do you enjoy the most?
JP: Variety is what my career has always been about, from doing radio to TV to presenting to acting and to stage. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. The people I have worked with have made it easy to enjoy it all. After panto there’s a few other things on the horizon. I’ve a fitness DVD coming out and 2 other things I can’t talk about just yet but I can give you a bit of a hint…one involves dogs and the other may see me return to theatre.
Tickets on sale now!
Dick Whittington
Friday 6 December 2013 – Sunday 5 January 2014
Opera House, Manchester
0844 871 3018
www.atgtickets.com/manchester*
