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Five Minutes with the Fabulous Doreen Tipton
Doreen Tipton is a legend in her own lifetime. The first person in the United Kingdom to be diagnosed with ‘Lazy Cow Syndrome’, this awful disability hasn’t stopped Doreen from becoming an icon, first in her beloved Black Country, and now on the way to conquering the world. Ahead of this year’s Wolverhampton Grand pantomime, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, I had a chat with Doreen at the stunning Mount Hotel. Unfortunately, Doreen was feeling a little tired, probably as a result of lazy cow syndrome, and so she had a little rest in bed. Nevertheless, I spoke to Doreen (and her ultra-ego Gill Jordan) about this year”s panto, and life…
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Birmingham Hippodrome Launch Cinderella at Villa Park
Wednesday saw Villa Park turned into a pantomime wonderland (not for the first time this season it has to be said – Baggies fan Joke!). The Birmingham Hippodrome were launching this year’s panto, Cinderella, with an all star cast. Beverly Knight, Suzanne Shaw, Matt Slack, Ceri Dupree and Phil Randall were all there, in their best panto finery, talking to this year’s panto producer and director Michael Harrison. It was a funny, happy occasion and certainly wet the appetite for what looks set to be another astounding success for the Hippodrome. Suzanne Shaw,Ceri Dupree and Phil Randall For Suzanne, this is the third time playing Cinderella, although the first time…
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Dick Whittington – Festive Family Fun at the Birmingham Hippodrome
The UK’s biggest and best panto opened last night, as the Birmingham Hippodrome launched Dick Whittington, this year’s festive offering. A star studded cast, including John Barrowman, The Krankies, Steve McFadden and Jodie Prenger dazzled and delighted the packed auditorium with all the best of panto tradition, presenting a dazzlingly camp and frothy spectacle that was, quite simply, hilarious. As with the best of panto, the story held little resemblance to the legend of Dick Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London. Instead, it pitted a very dashing Dick (and not matter how I write that, it still sounds naughty) against the villainous King Rat, both trying to control the…
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The Chuckle Brothers are panto gold at Wolverhampton Grand
Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and the gang flew into Wolverhampton tonight for the launch of panto season. Yes the shouts of ‘he’s behind you’ ,’oh no it isn’t’ and the new addition ‘to me, to you’ were once again reverberating around the beautiful Grand Theatre as the anarchic nuttiness of The Chuckle Brothers and the cartoon ham villainy of John Altman( aka Nasty Nick Cotton) made Peter Pan another panto smash hit. For good family fun and entertainment this is hard to beat, and this is mainly due to panto gold Paul and Barry Chuckle. As is so often the case in panto land, the lead characters are not the stars,…
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The World’s Biggest Panto is coming to Birmingham
“…With a cast of over 100 performers including celebrity funny men Bradley Walsh and Paul O’Grady, and children’s TV stars Dick and Dom, the World’s biggest pantomime will run from 20-24 December 2015. Fun for all the family, witness spectacular performances, including a visit from Santa Claus himself, plus stunning 3D mega vision special effects!…” The World’s biggest Panto is coming to Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena this December. Combining a huge cast of over 100 performers, and taking place on an enormous stage in Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena, ‘Cinderella’ is going to be a spectacle not to be missed. The new pantomime takes all the classic elements of panto, and then makes…