Pantomime Sleeping Beauty showing at Churchill Theatre, Bromley from December

Tickets are now on sale for the Churchill Theatre’s 2021 pantomime, starring Lee Mead, Bonnie Langford  and Claudillea Holloway.

The show, which this year tells the story of Sleeping Beauty, will run from December 4 to January 2 at the theatre in Bromley.

Mr Mead will star as the Prince, while Ms Langford will take the role of the Good Fairy and Ms Holloway will play Sleeping Beauty.

Ms Langford said that pantomime played a huge role in her introduction to showbusiness.

She said: “When I was very young my mother had a dancing school, well, she still has actually, and she would provide the dancers and the babes for Richmond Theatre pantomime.

“My first memories of theatre were panto. I used to go along when I was about four or five. I just remember it being such a happy time and such a happy place”.

Ms Langford went on to perform in her first pantomime at the age of 14 and has revisited the beloved genre many times since then, including in her last appearance in panto at the Churchill Theatre in 1995.

She said that the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty is the perfect way to get families back into theatre this Christmas

She said: “Pantomime, when it’s done properly and the story is well told, can be such a magical place. It encourages young people to go to the theatre and to make that a part of their life.

“It’s such a multi-generational thing and sometimes it’s the only time that a family will go to the theatre, all the different generations, all together.”

Mr Mead has become a regular on the pantomime scene since he won the BBC talent show Any Dream will Do and took the West End by storm.

He said: “It’s now such a huge part of theatre in this country and the production values are just so good. It’s like a full-scale West End musical.

“My first panto was in Southampton in 2011 and I’ve loved it ever since.”

After a difficult 18 months for the live-entertainment industry, Mr Mead can’t wait to get back on stage.

He said: “I just love being in front of an audience. I’ve missed that connection and the energy you get from performing live; just making people happy and being a part of something where people can switch off for a couple of hours and enjoy themselves, I love that.

“I’ve worked with Crossroads pantos for the last 10 years and they always put on a great production with spectacular sets and costumes. We’ve got a really stellar cast and hopefully the Prince will be good too.”

Website link: Sleeping Beauty at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley