Bath's Christmas pantomime Sleeping Beauty opens at the Theatre Royal

EastEnders’ and West End star Neil McDermott is set to play Prince Vincent in the fabulous family pantomime Sleeping Beauty this Christmas, alongside Bath favourite Jon Monie as Lester the Jester, EastEnders’ Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora and Hollyoaks’ Sarah Jane Buckley as Fairy Snowfall. The cast also features Maisie Sellwood as Princess Rose, Emma Norman as Carabosse and David Pendlebury as the King. Staged by UK Productions, the wonderfully traditional show takes to the stage at the Theatre Royal Bath for the festive season from Thursday 7 December to Sunday 7 January.

Promising a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with a new script by Bath’s all-round pantomime legend Jon Monie, the magical story tells of a Princess, cursed by an evil spell on her 18^th Birthday party, who can only be awoken by true love’s kiss. As Fairy Snowfall works with her friends to lift the curse and break the spell, expect plenty of fun in a thrilling quest for a happy ending. Full of top musical hits, fantastic costumes, stunning sets and exciting special effects, this brand-new show promises to keep panto fans, both young and old, thoroughly entertained.

Star of stage and television, Neil McDermott is well known for his roles as Ryan Malloy in BBC’s EastEnders since 2009, and Dr Ralph Ellis in three series of The Royal. His screen credits also include Doctor Who, Inspector George Gently and Rosemary and Thyme. In the West End he has starred in Pretty Woman, The Wind in the Willows, The Sound of Music, Shrek The Musical and Follies. His many stage credits also include La Cage aux Folles at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse. This year starring as Prince Vincent, Neil’s previous panto appearances include playing the title role in Aladdin alongside Sir Ian McKellen and Roger Allam at London’s Old Vic Theatre, and starring as Prince Charming in Cinderella at Hull’s New Theatre. Neil makes a welcome return to Bath after starring in Laura Wade’s comedy Home, I’m Darling, which toured to the Theatre Royal in February as part of a nationwide tour.

Bath pantomime legend Jon Monie – who has also written the script for this year’s show Sleeping Beauty - returns by popular demand to star as Lester the Jester. With a record number of over 1,100 Bath pantomime performances under his belt, Jon continues to delight audiences every time he appears on stage. Now marking his 21^st Christmas show at the Theatre Royal, pantomimes penned by Jon are staged in theatres nationwide by UK Productions. His panto Beauty and the Beast, which played Bath in December 2019, won Best Script at the Great British Pantomime Awards. Actor, television presenter, award-winning writer and comedian, Jon’s television credits include Bridgerton on Netflix, The Nevers for HBO/Sky, Moominvalley for Sky and BBC’s The Outlaws and Showtrial.

Nick Wilton makes a welcome return to the Theatre Royal to play Dame Nanny Nora. A firm favourite with audiences, Nick has played the iconic pantomime role of Dame in theatres across the UK since 2000. He has previously entertained Bath panto goers as Widow Twankey in Aladdin in both 2022 and 2016, Polly La Plonk in Beauty and the Beast in 2019, Nursie in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 2017 and Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk in 2015. On television, Nick has played Market Inspector Mr Lister as a series regular in EastEnders since 2008. His screen credits also include Carrott’s Lib, Heartbeat, Doc Martin, The Bill, Casualty and the children’s show Big Meg, Little Meg.

Sarah Jane Buckley, who appears as Fairy Snowfall, is well known on television as Kathy Barnes in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, a role she played from 2005 to 2017. Her many stage credits include playing the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Slice of Saturday Night, Elvis the Musical, Twist and Shout, Dancing in the Street, Popstars The Musical and many more touring productions. She has also appeared in numerous pantomimes and was one half of the award-winning cabaret duo The Polka Dots. This year, Sarah Jane starred as Mrs Lyons in Blood Brothers on tour, a role she played at the Theatre Royal in 2018. She also starred as Annie in Calendar Girls: The Musical at the Theatre Royal in 2019 as part of a UK tour.

The role of Princess Rose is played by Maisie Sellwood. Making her Theatre Royal Bath debut, Maisie returns to pantomime after playing Princess at the Blackpool Grand Theatre in Sleeping Beauty last Christmas. Since graduating from the BRIT School and London School of Musical Theatre, Maisie has also performed at Eurovision - Your Decision in Liverpool and completed a cruise of Asia as lead vocalist with MV Piano Land.

Emma Norman, who appears as Carabosse, started her career as a Production Vocalist at Manchester’s Granada Studios and was a touring session and backing vocalist for 25 years. She returned to the stage making her West End debut at the London Coliseum in The Pirate Queen; before performing in the world premiere of Making A Murderer: The Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe, Doctor Zhivago at the London Palladium, and appearing in Whitney: Queen of the Night and Tina: What’s Love Got To Do With It on tour in the UK and internationally.

David Pendlebury plays the role of the King. His numerous West End theatre credits include Disney’s The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, City of Angels, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Starlight Express and Disney’s Beauty & The Beast. David has toured the UK in Chess, performed in The Phantom of the Opera 25^th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall and toured China in The Producers.

The Sleeping Beauty Ensemble are Liam Wetherell, Matthew Michaels, Elizabeth Lundy, Mercedes Brown, Megan Reidy and Kitty O'Gara; and this year’s pantomime will once again feature the delightful young dancers from Bath’s Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance.

Sleeping Beauty is directed by Jill Williams, with choreography by Harry Lydon and musical direction by Joshua Newport. After entertaining Bath’s pantomime audiences for a quarter of a century, Martin Dodd’s UK Productions make a welcome return for the twenty-sixth year, following last year’s thrilling production of Aladdin and 2021’s Cinderella, which was nominated for the accolade of Best Panto at the Great British Pantomime Awards.