Princess Jill - "For me panto encapsulates Christmas completely"

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Expect feisty when Lauren Hampton takes to the stage this Christmas as Princess Jill in Jack and the Beanstalk at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre (December 14-January 5).

“She is called Princess Jill but she is feisty. She has got something about her. She just doesn't take it from the giant. She has got her own voice which is fantastic. I think she's going to be a little bit different. She's got a little bit of an edge to her while still being a princess.”

For Lauren panto at the Mayflower is perfect timing. She has just recently toured here in Grease: “And in Southampton I got to go on for my cover quite a few times which meant that I was able to sing on the stage here and see what it is like. Different venues sound different and it's really great to have been able to get used to it a little bit before we start on the panto.”

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As for panto, it's in Lauren’s blood: “I love panto. I've loved panto since I was a child and I went on as one of the juveniles. I did that in Bristol where I grew up, and if there was one Christmas when I didn't do it or later Christmases when I was older and I was training, it just didn't feel like Christmas. For me panto encapsulates Christmas completely.”

And it gave young Lauren some fabulous moments. She got to tap dance with Dame Barbara Windsor, for instance: “And the great thing is that the audience for panto is always packed. It is a cliche but it really is for everyone. It's just amazing when you're backstage and you've got your half hour and all you can hear is people chattering and sounds of Christmas music being played. And everyone is just there to enjoy themselves which is fantastic.

“I just love doing it. It is the thrill of being on the stage and I know there is a little bit of self-indulgence. It's a little bit of ‘Everyone is watching me.’ You get to do something you love and you get to do in front of people who say wow and who say that you are good at it. There's definitely a little bit of validation going on. But the fact is that you are doing what you love most in the world and you are able to share that love with people. I'm a dancer at heart and just being able to move on the stage and express yourself is fantastic. And to have people watching you is the icing on the cake. I'm so lucky that some of my earliest memories are of being on stage and having the lights and having all the professionalism and seeing all the techies and the soundies, and I'm just really grateful for those memories.

“As a child I did about eight pantos at the Bristol Hippodrome. The last time when I was 17 I got to become part of the ensemble for eight shows and then I did three years training after that and I was so lucky to be able to step into that world.”

As for more recent pantos she was Alice in Dick Whittington and then absolutely loved being in her hometown playing Cinderella in Bristol with Craig Revel Horwood in the cast.

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