Wirral's independent local news website
Pantomime is back at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, with everyone’s favourite fairy tale, Cinderella.
Starring Steps singing sensation Lee Latchford-Evans as the handsome Prince, the show will be lighting up the stage from Saturday 3 December to Monday 2 January.
Also starring CBeebies presenter Katrina Bryan (Molly & Mac, Emmerdale) as The Fairy Godmother, Blood Brothers West End star, Sean Jones, as Buttons, Gwynfryn West, as Baron Hardup and Bethan Jacks, as Cinderella.
Not forgetting those legendary dames with the most outrageous costumes, Jamie Morris and Tarot Joseph as the unmissable Ugly Sisters!
Lee Latchford-Evans alongside his Steps bandmates, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian ‘H’ Watkins are a world phenomenon, selling 14 consecutive Top 5 singles (at the time, only bettered by The Beatles) and selling more than 22 million records worldwide.
The band also acquired a BRIT Award for Best Selling Live Act and a nomination for Best Breakthrough Act and Best British Pop Act while supporting Britney Spears on tour. Steps also won at the British LGBT Awards – Best Music Artist.
To a UK outcry, Steps sadly announced their split on Boxing Day 2001. However, the band announced in May 2022 that they would release their third official greatest hits album, titled Platinum Collection. Fans were delighted and the album shot to No. 1 on the UK Official Top 100 Album Chart as well as the No.1 slot on the Official Albums Sales Chart.
Eagle-eyed Emmerdale fans may have spotted a familiar face on the soap over the past few years as actress Katrina Bryan temporarily swapped CBeebies for the Dales, appearing in a guest role as Dawn Taylor’s social worker, Eloise.
Katrina is better known for playing Nina in kids’ TV show, Nina and the Neurons and Alice in Molly & Mac. Katrina will play the magical role of the Fairy Godmother in this spectacular pantomime.
Joining Lee and Katrina is Blood Brothers West End star Sean Jones as Buttons. Welsh actor Sean has been running around in short trousers playing young Mickey in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers in the West End and on national tours for more than two decades.
This will be his third successive appearance at the Floral Pavilion Theatre. This production is full of sparkling sets, lavish costumes, amazing song and dance numbers, giggles galore and bags of audience participation.
Speaking of the panto, Ellesmere Port’s Lee Latchford-Evans, who plays Prince Charming, told birkenhead.news, “It’s definitely one for the family! Panto kind of ticks a lot of boxes, but really it’s for the kids – the glitz, the glamour, the lights, but you’ve also got the jokes that are aimed at the adults. It is really a big family thing, you can bring babies, you can bring your children you can bring teenagers – there’s a little bit of something for everyone.”
Katrina Bryan plays the Fairy Godmother. She told us, “It will have fantastic singing and dancing and it looks spectacular!
“Cinderella is one of the most beautiful, magical, and fun panto stories. And never mind all the dancing and singing, we’re going to have some real Shetland ponies on stage, which might be part of my fairy godmother magic!”
Tickets are available now at www.floralpavilion.com
Image: www.fotopiaimages.com
Why not follow birkenhead.news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news