Familiar faces in Coventry in two Christmas shows

Published: 9 August 2013
Reporter: Steve Orme

Iain Lauchlan as Nanny Knot in Sleeping Beauty Credit: Robert Day
Katy Stephens as Fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty Credit: Robert Day

Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre will welcome back some familiar faces this Christmas for its two shows, Jack and the Beanstalk and Oh No It Isn’t!

The city’s panto legend Iain Lauchlan will don his frocks again to play Dame Trott in this year’s panto.

He played Dame for 12 years in Belgrade pantos between 1988 and 1999 before returning in 2007 in Aladdin to celebrate the theatre’s reopening after a £14 million redevelopment. He was back again 12 months ago in Sleeping Beauty.

He said, “I had such a brilliant time at the Belgrade last Christmas. It was fantastic to meet up with so many old friends in Coventry and to entertain such appreciative audiences.

“I was really hoping to be able to return for this year’s panto and my wish has come true.

“As well as playing Dame Trott I’ll also be directing the show again. But I must say that being on stage will be the icing on the cake—or is it lemon meringue pie? Either way I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone again.”

Also returning to the Belgrade panto is Craig Hollingsworth who played Muddles in Sleeping Beauty last year. In Jack and the Beanstalk he will play Dame Trott’s son Simon.

Jack and the Beanstalk will run from Wednesday 27 November until Sunday 5 January.

Coventry-based actress Katy Stephens, currently playing Tamora Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, will provide some festive fun for grown-ups in a new Christmas show, Oh No It Isn’t!, in the Belgrade’s B2 auditorium.

She also appeared as Wicked Fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty at the Belgrade last Christmas and in the theatre’s production of The Father.

Written by Coventry writer Nick Walker, Oh No It Isn’t! is a comedy thriller which follows the story of four actors performing in a Christmas panto.

For the audience it’s a fun, yuletide treat, but for the actors on stage, it’s a matter of life and death.

Oh No It Isn’t! runs in B2 from Saturday, 7 December until Saturday 28 December.

*Some links, including Amazon, Stageplays.com, ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre, BTG Tickets, Ticketmaster, The Ticket Factory, LW Theatres and QuayTickets, are affiliate links for which BTG may earn a small fee at no extra cost to the purchaser.

Are you sure?