Mirror mirror on the wall, which is the fairest panto of all? Casting announced for Empire panto

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

First Family Entertainment and the Liverpool Empire are delighted to announce the line-up for this year’s family pantomime, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs.

TV favourite Jorgie Porter will be making her pantomime debut as she heads up this year’s cast in the title role of Snow White.

Jorgie is best known for her role as Theresa McQueen in the Channel 4 drama serial Hollyoaks. Jorgie was a contestant on the seventh series of Dancing On Ice on ITV. She made it all the way to the final where she finished runner up. Jorgie was then asked to return for Dancing On Ice: Champion Of Champions. Jorgie recently starred in ITV's award winning series I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Jorgie spent 23 days in the jungle and had huge public support back home in the UK and finished 5th. Since returning from Australia, Jorgie has filmed an episode of Lip Sync Battle for Channel 5 against Rufus Hound and worked with E! on their live red carpet coverage of the Golden Globes. Most recently Jorgie has been announced as part of the cast of the much-anticipated remake of the comedy Are You Being Served which will be aired on BBC 1 later in the year.

Jorgie commented: "I am so excited to be appearing in Snow White at the Liverpool Empire. It’s every girls dream to play a Princess and Snow White is one of the best! What an honour it is to be appearing at the Liverpool Empire too which is such a beautiful theatre and the pantomime audiences are the best in the country so I can’t wait to see you all this Christmas."

Joining Jorgie are Empire pantomime favourite’s Leanne Campbell who will be taking on the role of the Wicked Queen and Liam Mellor is back by popular demand as the lovable comic, Muddles.

Leanne Campbell has become a much-loved member of the Empire panto family and returns for her fourth consecutive year. Leanne hosts Liverpool's number 1 breakfast show weekday mornings 6-10am on Radio City 96.7, but it was theatre where Leanne first cut her teeth when she first appeared on stage at the age of ten whilst training at Elliott Clarke school of Dance and Drama full time. She landed roles such as Annie (Liverpool Playhouse) and Helen Forester, Twopence to cross the Mersey (Liverpool Empire) for which she was awarded a Scouseology Award for ‘Top Theatre Personality’ and a Daily Post Art Award in the ‘Best New Talent’ category. After winning a scholarship to continue training at Laines Theatre Arts in London, she then continued her theatre career both in Liverpool and on tour.

Leanne is delighted to be appearing in the Empire pantomime once again but this time as the baddie a role she can’t wait to get her teeth stuck into.

After delighting audiences in the role of Idle Jack last year, Liam Mellor returns with his madcap comedy style this time in the role of Muddles. Liam is well known across the UK for his comedy work and received ‘cracking’ reviews last year. He is no stranger to pantomime having written and starred in many pantomime at St Helens Theatre Royal.

Snow White is a dazzling fairytale of a pantomime guaranteed to melt everyone’s hearts; watch as the beautiful Snow White and her seven little friends attempt to defeat the Wicked Queen. Will Snow White meet her Handsome Prince and save the day? Come along to the Liverpool Empire this Christmas to find out. Spectacular sets, sparkling costumes, side splitting comedy and lots and lots of fun for the whole family to enjoy.

To book tickets, visit http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/snow-white-2016/liverpool-empire/.

Dick Whittington

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 15 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The Liverpool Empire is in panto season, and its festive production this year is Dick Whittington, starring a good number of famous faces and featuring plenty of funny scenarios and eye-catching moments to ensure that theatregoers of all ages would love this show.

The plot is a little less clear than in other shows, as the story takes some unexpected twists and turns, but the main story arc is that Dick Whittington (played by Kurtis Stacey) and his cat Tommy (Hayley Goold) have arrived in Liverpool looking for work, and not only do they find a job quickly working at a shop belonging to Alderman Fitzwarren (Pete Price), but he also finds love in the form of the shop owner's daughter Alice (Leanne Campbell). The city has a problem with rats, hence why the cat is of great use to Alderman, but King Rat (Warren Donnelly) still has plans to spoil everybody's plans.

For, as the main characters prepare to embark on a long trip across the sea, King Rat manages to hypnotise Dick into taking money from the Fitzwarren safe and hiding it in his travel bag, thus seeing him blamed and sent away when the discovery is made. However, Alice manages to convince her family to let Dick and Tommy join them for the journey. But this takes an errant turn too when King Rat strikes again and causes a ship-wreck, leaving the characters to swim their way to safety. They make it to Morocco (where they meet the Sultan of Morocco, also played by Pete Price), where a stand-off occurs between Dick and King Rat. Can Dick clear his name? Will King Rat get what he deserves? And will Dick and Alice get the opportunity to live happily ever after?

I really enjoyed this show: all the characters do a good job in their respective roles, with Eric Potts being the highlight of the show due to his over-the-top portrayal of Sarah the Cook, which includes some over-sized costumes that get as many laughs as the character wearing them, and a number of risqué jokes (including some involving sausage pies). Liam Mellor also provides some giggles as Idle Jack with some deliberately awful jokes, his laid-back approach to the problems that come up, and his local slang which makes some of his lines sound funnier than they are. Kurtis and Leanne are effective in the leading roles, and display their singing talents via some modern hits which had the audience clapping along and dancing. The backing dancers (some of which were dressed as rats) performed well too in their limited scenes, and we also had Sally Lindsay starring as the Fairy Fazakerley.

Perhaps the most memorable parts of the show were the spectacular scenery, from a suitably old-fashioned town setting to a glittery, opulent Moroccan palace, and the unique 3D video which was shown during the second half. The video looked at the adventures of a turtle (carried out by Idle Jack throughout the show) after the ship wreck, as he encountered fishes and even a shark. Due to the 3D effects (complete with 3D glasses for the audience) and the cool artistry of the scene, it enhanced the show as a whole, and took the production to a level above your everyday (well, every Christmas) pantomime. The opening video to the show was also unexpected, as it charted the history of English pantos and even had an X-Factor-esque intro, complete with a sing-along countdown.

Overall, I feel that this is a must-see panto for the family this Christmas. Adults will recognise the older names and will get some jokes that may fly over the heads of younger ones (one double entendre in particular was really funny, if a bit awkward in this setting), whilst the kids will love the special effects, the colourful characters, the superb settings and the general feel of this show. Make it a priority to see Dick Whittington this Christmas at the Liverpool Empire; it's a first-class Christmas extravaganza for all.

Overall Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding

Cinderella

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 14 2015
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

It's Christmas time, which means that it's panto season! ("Oh, no it isn't! Oh, yes it is!")

The Epstein Theatre served up a fun and at times unpredictable night of yuletide entertainment with its incarnation of Cinderella, the story of a girl who finds her true love in the form of Prince Charming, but is denied the opportunity to be with him by her two ugly sisters and her evil mother. However, with the assistance of some friends (including a Fairy Godmother, played by Beryl Marsden), Cinders finds her way to Prince Charming's Ball (which he holds solely to try and meet Cinderella again), but a midnight exit and a forgotten shoe lead to the show's big question mark: can Prince Charming locate Cinderella, and will they be married and live happily ever after?

The part of Cinderella was played very convincingly by Alison Crawford, with the show's biggest name being Calum Best, who played Prince Charming. The audience (which included some famous faces) were largely there to see Calum, or at least the adults were since this is a performance aimed at children. Also of note was Lewis Pryor as Buttons, Cinderella's friend and a general errand boy for Cinderella's evil mother, who played his part very well, and even showcased some fancy dance moves!

As is often the case with the seasonal pantomimes at the Epstein, the biggest and the most laughs came from Michael Chapman and Tom Burroughs, who played the Ugly Sisters. Although their characters are inherently evil, their use of scouse slang and suggestive dialogue, their daft costumes, and their humorous interactions with certain cast members meant that it was impossible not to giggle during their scenes. In particular, Chapman (a regular for Epstein pantos, usually in a role similar to this, who doubled as director) raised plenty of laughs during his audience participation segment towards the end, partly due to the unpredictable nature of the young children who came on stage to win some chocolate goodies, and partly due to his abrupt yet hilarious way of dealing with said kids. The use of two white ponies in a scene just before the break and some occasional pyrotechnics added to the special, Christmassy feeling of this production.

The show started 15 minutes late and had a very long intermission, which had an effect on one's enjoyment of the show, as many were checking their watches and several left early due to the late finishing time (bearing in mind the number of youngsters in attendance). Regular attendees to Epstein pantos will also be unsurprised by the structure of the plot and the resolution in the last few scenes, although in a pantomime spectators are rarely there to analyse the storyline. That being said, without providing spoilers, I was surprised that one long-running plotline wasn't resolved at all, and another apparently significant story development had a quick and confusing resolution.

Otherwise, this was a very enjoyable night of pantomime which helped to get one in the Christmas spirit. There were plenty of jokes to satisfy both adults and children, making this a recommended night for families to attend over the Christmas season. I had a good time, and my two young nieces who attended the show with me had a great time. In that respect, Cinderella should be on your Christmas list of shows to see over the Xmas break.

Overall Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding

All-star cast revealed at dazzling panto launch of Cinderella at the Epstein Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Epstein Theatre

Celebrities, media moguls and movers and shakers in the city had a ball this afternoon when LHK Productions whisked them to the launch of its dazzling, star-studded pantomime at The Epstein Theatre.

Producer Lee Kelly waved his magic wand and revealed his all-star cast who will perform in Cinderella this Christmas before treating them to a sneak preview of his spellbinding panto.

Returning to the Epstein Theatre for his fourth festive season, this year Lee’s line-up includes heartthrob Calum Best who makes his panto debut alongside much-loved Merseybeat legend, Beryl Marsden.

This Charming Man, Calum is the son of football legend George Best and is guaranteed to get hearts racing across the region in his role as the dashing Prince Charming.

Meanwhile, Beryl, the godmother of 60s soul, who was one of the greatest female vocalists of the Merseybeat era and toured with The Beatles, will also be starring in panto for first time as The Fairy Godmother!

The cast also includes Grease Is the Word’s Alison Crawford, Lesley Butler as the Wicked Stepmother and Michael Chapman and Tom Burroughs as the hilarious Ugly Sisters. Lewis Pryor stars as Buttons and Chris Barton plays Prince Charming’s right hand man, Dandini.

Based on the classic fairytale, Cinderella tells the much-loved story of a pretty young girl kept captive by her wicked ugly step-sisters. When Cinders is invited to a magnificent ball at the palace, her two fiendish siblings forbid her to attend.

With a wave of a magic wand, her very own fairy godmother appears to save the day and she is transformed into a beautiful princess. After a magical evening dancing endlessly with Prince Charming, midnight approaches and poor Cinders has to depart before the spell is broken.

With a single glass slipper left behind, will Prince Charming be able to find his princess? Will Cinders escape the clutches of her ugly step-sisters and live happily ever after?

With a live orchestra, real Shetland ponies, lavish sets and exquisite costumes, the audience is in for a real treat this Christmas!

Producer Lee Kelly commented: “I am so excited about our panto this year, we have a really strong cast and sales already beating last year’s figures, I firmly believe this will be one of our ‘Best’, especially with Calum on board.”

Speaking at the launch, the very handsome Calum revealed that it will be the first time he has ever starred in panto.

“This is a totally new experience for me as I grew up in Los Angeles where we don’t have pantos,” admitted Calum. “But it seemed a really fun thing to do. I am so excited. I love Liverpool and the people of Liverpool so I thank Lee for having me in his panto.”

Despite the fact that Calum has never sang in public before, he isn’t daunted by the prospect. He said: “It’s the first time I’ve sang before an audience but I am adventurous. I’ll give it a go - I’ll just try not to sing too loud!

“Alison has been lovely to work with as she is so cool, calm and collected. In fact the whole cast are seasoned pros so I am sure they will give me some tips!”

Cinderella runs at The Epstein Theatre from Thursday December 10 2015 to Sunday January 3 2016. Book your tickets now for the most enchanting panto in the land. We do hope to see you there (oh yes we do)!

Sally Lindsay to make panto debut at Liverpool Empire

Sally Lindsay

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Popular TV actress Sally Lindsay to make panto debut at the Liverpool Empire – Oh yes she is!

First Family Entertainment announce all-star casting for Dick Whittington

Popular TV actress Sally Lindsay, known for her roles in Coronation Street, Mount Pleasant and Ordinary Lies has never performed in a pantomime before but that’s all about to change as she’s starring in Dick Whittington this Christmas at the Liverpool Empire! ‘Oh yes she is!’

This year’s exciting all-star cast also includes Radio City’s Leanne Campbell as Alice Fitzwarren, Pete Price as and Alderman Fitzwarren, Eric Potts (Coronation Street) as Sarah the Cook and Kurtis Stacey (Emmerdale) as Dick Whittington. They will be joined by Warren Donnelly (Shameless) who makes a welcome return to the Empire this Christmas to play the villainous King Rat after appearing as Abanazar in Aladdin last year.

Sally, who will play the magical Fairy Fazakerly in this year’s production, is best known as Corrie barmaid Shelley Unwin and Lisa in Sky Living drama Mount Pleasant. Sally more recently appeared on screens in the critically acclaimed drama Ordinary Lies.

Sally commented: “I’m nervous but excited about being in my very first pantomime. The Liverpool Empire is one of the most beautiful theatres in the country and I can’t wait to be sprinkling some fairy magic there this Christmas. We’ve got a really strong cast, some of them I’ve worked with before, and I know Liverpool audiences are always up for a laugh so it’s going to be a great show. I’m really looking forward to the panto season!”

Eric Potts, also known as Coronation Street Baker Diggery Compton, will delight audiences as the hilarious dame, Sarah the Cook. Although it’s the first time Eric will perform in a pantomime here at the Empire, he is certainly no stranger to the tradition having spent the last 16 seasons appearing in pantomimes. Eric is currently writing scripts for First Family pantomimes up and down the country including this one.

Eric added: “I love writing panto scripts. Pantomime is very often a child's first visit to the theatre and it’s great that I get the chance to create an experience that they love and want to repeat. I love the great British tradition of pantomime and am honoured to be a small part of that history.”

Dick Whittington is the ultimate tale of rags-to-riches telling the story of an adventurous young man who sets off to seek his fortune on an adventure to London. But, things don’t go exactly to plan and Dick must take on the evil King Rat in his quest to win Alice’s hand.

Join Dick and his feline friend Tommy on his fun filled quest for fame and fortune! Will the streets really be paved with gold? Will he win the hand of the lovely Alice – and will he defeat the dastardly King Rat? There’s only one way to find out – come along for panto, the purr-fect way to celebrate Christmas!

This year’s pantomime is produced by First Family Entertainment, who are no strangers to the Liverpool Empire having produced previous panto extravaganzas Cinderella, Peter Pan and Aladdin.

Diane Belding, general manager at the Empire, said: “First Family are known for putting on the best quality pantomimes and we’re confident this year’s will be even bigger and even better. So, if you’re going to watch a pantomime this year, make sure it’s at the Empire. It will be here before we know it so I’d urge everyone to snap up their tickets as soon as they can!”

Dick Whittington is a fun-filled family show that promises to take audiences of all ages on a rip-roaring ride with brilliant sing-along songs, hilarious characters and lots of laughs, Dick Whittington comes to the Liverpool Empire from Saturday December 12 2015 until Sunday January 3 2016.

Lead star announced for Cinderella at the Epstein Theatre

Calum Best

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Epstein Theatre

Cinderella's Prince Charming guaranteed to be "the Best"

LHK Productions are whisking us off to a magical ball this Christmas time, as they announce that the spell-binding tale of Cinderella will return to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre from Thursday December 10 2015 to Sunday January 3 2016. Tickets are already on sale.

LHK always guarantee to bring a refreshing all-star cast to the stage and this year is no exception, producer Lee Kelly is delighted to reveal that Calum Best will star in his panto debut as Prince Charming, and is certain to get hearts racing across the region.

The son of football legend George Best, Calum has had huge success as an international model, fronting campaigns for top fashion brands, as well as finding fame as an actor, television personality and reality TV star.

He was crowned the winner of the second series of  ITV1’s Celebrity Love Island in 2006, appeared in ITV2 series Calum, Fran and Dangerous Danan and as a judge on ITV2’s Paris Hilton’s British Best Friend. Most recently, he was a housemate in 2015’s Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 5.

Calum Best said: “I'm so excited to be making my panto debut in beautiful Liverpool; it is a great city and one of my favourite places to visit so I am delighted to be spending Christmas there. It will be a fantastic show which I am thrilled to be a part of and I can’t wait to experience all the magic that panto has to offer. See you all at the show!”

Returning to the Epstein Theatre for their 4th festive season, LHK’s Cinderella tells the much-loved story of a beautiful young girl kept captive by her wicked ugly step sisters. When Cinders is invited to a magnificent ball at the palace, her two fiendish ugly step-sisters forbid her to attend.

With a wave of a magic wand, her very own fairy godmother appears to save the day and she is transformed in to a dazzling princess. After a magical evening dancing endlessly with Prince Charming, midnight approaches and poor Cinders has to depart before the spell is broken.

With a single glass slipper left behind, will Prince Charming be able to find his princess? Will Cinders escape the clutches of her ugly step-sisters and live happily ever after?

With a live orchestra, real Shetland ponies, lavish sets and exquisite costumes, book your tickets now for the most enchanting Panto in all the land.

Producer Lee Kelly said: “We are really looking forward to having Calum in this year’s show and coming to Liverpool for Xmas. I know he will be a great addition to the cast. We have plenty of surprises and announcements still to come and I am certain this will be our best show yet.”

The full cast who will join Calum Best this Christmas will be announced in the coming months, so watch this space!

A High 5ive To The Epstein's Beast Of An Easter Panto!

The cast of Beauty & The Beast.
(Image Credit: David Munn
Photography)

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Epstein Theatre

The cast of LHK Production’s new Easter pantomime of Beauty & The Beast have arrived at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre to officially launch their new family show which visits from Thursday April 2-Sunday 12 April.

With last year’s first Easter panto Aladdin being a high-flying success, along with the giant Christmas production of Jack and the Beanstalk breaking records, LHK Productions are delighted to present another beautiful fairy-tale to the stage with their much-loved panto twist.

Always guaranteeing a popular cast, LHK Productions have this time landed 5ive front-man Ritchie Neville to star as Anton. After enjoying worldwide success as part of 5ive, even bagging a Brit Award for Best Pop Act, the group took a break before reuniting in 2013 to take the show on the road and perform their most famous hits like If Ya Gettin’ Down and Slam Dunk (Da Funk) on a 14-show tour across the UK. So Ritchie is certainly no stranger to the stage and is sure to keep on movin' to deliver a show-stopping performance.

Ritchie Neville commented: "I am really looking forward to being a part of Beauty & The Beast. This will be my first ever panto performance, so I am super excited. I love performing in Liverpool, and whenever we have gigs in the city with the band, the crowd are always brilliant. You know you get a warm and lively audience in Liverpool, so I know that doing my first panto here is going to be a whole lot of fun!”

Alongside Ritchie, playing Belle is Alison Crawford, a semi-finalist on Grease Is The Word who recently starred in LHK’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk as Princess Jill. Also joining the pair is the returning Michael Chapman, who is sure to bring laughter and excitement to the show taking on the role of Madam Dolly Doughnut.

Beauty & The Beast tells the tale of a handsome Prince with no love in his heart. After an encounter with an Enchantress, he is transformed into a terrifying Beast, and the only way the wicked curse can be broken is if the Beast can find true love before the last petal from the magical rose falls.

Will the Beast find true love? Or will the last petal from the magical rose fall? There’s only one way to find out if the Beast can fall in love and break the curse, and that's to get down to the Epstein Theatre this April.

Beauty & The Beast runs in the Epstein Theatre from Thursday April 2-Sunday April 12. Tickets are priced at £54.00 for a family (two adults and two children), £16.50 for adults, and £14.50 for concessions. There is also a special offer for the opening night with all tickets at £12.50, and one in fifteen groups can go free. To book your tickets, click here or call 0844 888 4411, or visit the Epstein Theatre Box Office, which is open from Monday-Saturday, from 14.00-18.00.