Wayne Miller, the creator of the Santa’s Naughty Elf series of pantos for young children which has been running for ten years at the Customs House in South Shields, is taking on a new role.
In April he will appear in a new Easter panto, Peter Plank’s Magical Mystical Egg, in which, as well as writing the script and directing, he will play Peter, the central character in this tale of a magical egg that has the power to grant a wish, a wish that could make a dream come true for Peter Plank, a simple lad who only has one goal, to be a great showman on stage. However life isn’t as simple as Peter.
Will he achieve his ambition or will the dastardly Gannabee Hellon shatter his dreams?
Miller will be joined by former Tyne Theatre and Opera House panto star and Capital Radio presenter Jo Jo Hatfield playing Peter’s love interest, the feisty Bonnie Belle, Craig Richardson, who has appeared in panto in both North and South Shields, as CrackMee Yup and Stephen Sullivan, who this year played the evil Fleshcreep in the Times Square Pantodrome’s Jack and the Beanstalk, as the villainous Gannabee Hellon.
Also in the cast are dancers Loren Robson and Lori Smedley who trained at the South Tyneside Dance Workshop in South Shields and have performed in many pantomimes at the Customs House.
The production will run at the Pier Pavilion on South Shields’ seafront, the home of the town’s amateur company The Westovians, from 4 to 6 April at 12:00 and 3:30.
The show’s producers, Walton-Gunn Productions, is a new company and is determined to make an impact. As producer and choreographer Stacy Walton says, they want people to come and see the show, and then come back many times more.
“We hope,” she says, “that Peter Plank’s Easter panto will become part of the entertainment tradition here in South Shields.”
Tickets, priced £6, can be obtained from Ticketsource.