CAST MEMBERS FOR BUXTON’S GIANT FAMILY PANTOMIME HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED

Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Arts Centre has announced that Buxton’s favourite Dame, James Holmes, will be returning to the Opera House this festive season as ‘Dame Trot’ in their annual family pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Famous for his many appearances on stage and television (BBC’s Miranda, Worzel Gummidge, and Sherlock), Holmes has cemented himself as a beloved familiar face over the years with Buxton’s audiences. He is renowned for his hilarious wit and comedic timing! Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Arts Centre are excited to welcome back James Holmes to what will be his ninth pantomime appearance in Buxton.

This year’s pantomime will once again be written and directed by Paul Kerryson, CEO of Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Arts Centre. Kerryson is keeping this year’s pantomime script under wraps for the moment, but teases that his take on the festive fairytale will have plenty of fun and laughter for all ages! This year’s production will include autism-friendly, audio described, captioned and BSL- interpreted performances, ensuring that all audiences can enjoy the magic of the theatre.

Starring alongside James Holmes on stage for the mischief and mirth will be rising star of the stage Toby Shellard, who joins the cast after recently finishing his stint on the UK & Ireland Tour of Pretty Woman (ATG). With previous theatre credits including Hairspray (Kilworth House Theatre) and Babies (Indigo Productions/Crossroads Live), as well as various in-training credits at the Royal Albert Hall, Shellard in his Buxton Opera House debut will be climbing the beanstalk this December to play as the handsome and heroic ‘Jack’, who is on a quest to save a Princess from the clutches of a mean, old and greedy Giant.

This year also sees the return of Aiden Bailey, who will be standing alongside Shellard’s ‘Jack’ as his trusty, jolly sidekick ‘Spot’. Bailey, who played ‘Buttons’ in last year’s pantomime, is sure to be a firm family favourite and will provide the fun, heartwarming and slapstick moments that children and adults alike have come to know and love in Buxton’s pantomimes.

But be warned fellow mortals! Because plotting and scheming at every turn will be the deliciously wicked and evil ‘Mrs Blunderbore’, the mother of the Giant, played by Glossop’s own extraordinarily talented Catherine Pugh. Audiences will vividly remember Pugh’s tour de force stint in the iconic role of Eva Perón in Buxton Opera House’s production of Evita last April. She will be certain to give audiences a villainous but equally fun performance that will have you hiding behind your seats!

Ruby Hewitt will be bestowed with the tiara of ‘Princess Louise’ this year. Hewitt, who is also a rising star of the stage, comes to Buxton Opera House this year in her first leading pantomime role, with previous theatre credits including West Side Story and All The World’s A Stage as ‘Cleopatra’ (Birmingham Hippodrome), and previously as the understudy for ‘Fairy Godmother’ in Cinderella (Malvern Theatre). Hewitt is sure to deliver a magical performance this festive season!

Also joining the cast will be Cait O’Malley as the ‘Fairy’, with ensemble and understudy duties being taken up by Jordan Hayward (in his UK debut), Luke Joseph Breathnatch, Daisy Edwards, Caitlin Garcia, Caleb Hall, Lily Bell, and Emma Waddington. Jack and the Beanstalk will also feature special cameos from ‘Pat the Cow’ and ‘The Golden Goose’.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be playing at Buxton Opera House from Friday 6 December 2024 – Wednesday 1 January 2025 in both matinee and evening shows.