You'll be hooked

Dec 3 2008 By Barry Dix, Surrey Herald

Anyone ambling in to the Theatre Royal at Windsor for the first time can be forgiven for thinking they've wandered into a time warp.

As those of us who frequent it regularly know, it's a little gem of a place, all panelled wood, ornate plasterwork, magnificent chandeliers and red velvet seats.

Just the place for a time traveller, which may explain why there's quite a tradition of Windsor pantomime appearances by actors who have starred in the iconic role of TV's Dr Who.

Both Peter Davidson and Sylvester McCoy have trodden the boards in very different costumes in the famous old theatre's traditional Christmas offering. And both have returned outside the pantomime season in other productions, with McCoy featuring just a few weeks ago in Carla Rosa Opera's sumptuous performance of The Mikado.

So it's hardly surprising that this year's panto, Peter Pan, includes yet another Dr Who stalwart, this time the still-surprisingly-young looking Elisabeth Sladen, who was the doctor's sidekick Sarah Jane Smith way back in the dim and distant 1970s.

The idea of reintroducing her into the series a couple of years ago, in the very different David Tennant era, was inspired. She proved to be so popular with modern audiences that a spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, has become one of the most-watched programmes on children's TV.

And that certainly won't do any harm to ticket sales.

Neither will the presence among the cast of several other familiar faces from the small screen.

Sneering and snarling in an enormous black wig and red frock coat, and revelling in the role of big bad Captain Hook is Jack Ellis, who many will know from his appearances as Harry Mason in Coronation Street and Jim Fenner in Bad Girls.

He says he is playing Hook as a combination of Jack Nicholson, Leslie Phillips and Terry Thomas!

Set to take to the air as Peter Pan is Christopher Parker, formerly Spencer Moon in EastEnders and a finalist in the first series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Hannah Williams, playing Wendy, will be less well-known to older audience members, unless they happen to be avid viewers of Channel Five's Milkshake!

But Kate Nicholas and her astonishingly-versatile and clever border collie Gin the Dog will be all too familiar, having sprung to fame, quite literally, in Britain's Got Talent.

Completing the line-up are two perpetual Windsor panto favourites, Christopher Beeny and Michael Sharvell-Martin, whose vast experience will no doubt prove invaluable.

Surprisingly, given the Theatre Royal's long history of staging pantos (many of them featured in the black and white photos on the walls) this is the first time it has played host to Peter Pan. It's Never Never done it before.

The jokes will be better than that, I assure you!

So whether you want to see TV stars on stage or simply enjoy the zany, colourful, preposterous world of pantomime, you can be assured of a rollicking good, old-fashioned innocent night of fun.

Like stepping back in time really. 

* Peter Pan is at The Theatre Royal, Windsor, from tonight, Wednesday, December 3 until Sunday, January 11. Contact the box office on 01753 853 888 or go to www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk.