Just one month to go until the Eastbourne pantomime

The magical production runs from Friday, December 6, until January 12, and tickets cost £12 to £23.50 (group discounts available).

Call the box office on 01323 412000 or visit www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.

The cast of this year’s show got together at the theatre in late September to officially launch the pantomime.

A spokesperson said: “Katherine Glover, who will take the part of the hero Jack, travelled 317 miles overnight to make the event as she was performing in the North East of England the evening before. Katherine knows her way to the Devonshire Park having performed in last year’s Cinderella and 2017 Dick Whittington.

“Martyn Knight, Eastbourne’s resident pantomime dame, who’s been terrifying the men in the front rows for the last 15 years, will once again reapply the false lashes and dig out the bloomers as Dame Trott. Martyn travelled down from his native Watford, with comic Tucker (who takes the role of Simple Simon) making the modest four-mile trip from his home in Wannock – having just returned home from an extensive UK tour which included playing to a sold out crowd (who demanded three encores) at the Royal Albert Hall and Arenas across the UK supporting Gladys Knight and travelling the world entertaining on cruise ships from Norway to Corsica.

“Another South Eastern based member of the cast Victoria Farley (Wicked and Les Misérables), who lives in Billingshurst, polished her tiara to play Princess Jill and took the trip to Eastbourne for the day, plus Steven Serlin (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, I Can’t Sing!) as the giant’s henchman Fleshcreep and Robert Ashe as King Custard and even Clarabelle the cow came in from pasture to participate in the event. The only cast members missing were Fairy Fuchsia played by Natalie Hope and Giant Blunderbore – but the theatre’s do need to keep some secrets for the actual show.

“Cast members took a stroll around the cultural corner stopping for pictures outside the Towner Gallery and the brand new Welcome Building before heading to glorious playhouse, the Devonshire Park Theatre, which the cast will call home from December 6 when the show opens for the seasonal run.

“Following a quick pit-stop for refreshments and additional images the cast and team headed out for some photos around the seafront with a quick jaunt to Princes Park, although they didn’t have enough time to try out the zip-line and climbing frame in the play area.

“Along the way the cast made quite a spectacle and literally stopped traffic at the crossing by Fort Fun managing to re-create the iconic Beatles image – but of course with a pantomime twist. A group of Dutch tourists had a surprise to their sightseeing trip (and now have some interesting photographs to show for their visit to the Sunshine Coast!) and a local birthday girl had a chance to grab some additional snaps for the album when the gang gate-crashed her 60th Birthday celebration lunch at the Boathouse.

“Even the Devonshire Park groundsmen were forced to stop their mowing for a short while as Clarabel the cow took a quick break to graze between shots!”

You can read an interview with Clarabel the cow here.

Visit Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more pictures and videos about the show.

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