Kathryn Rooney, Lesley Joseph, Brian Conley and Andrew Ryan ready to set sail
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Birmingham Hippodrome launches Robinson Crusoe Pantomime with Brian Conley and Lesley Joseph

Qdos Entertainment and Birmingham Hippodrome once again bring “Britain’s biggest pantomime” to the second city in a lavish launch party for this seasons Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates. This swashbuckling pantomime introduces veterans Brian Conley and Lesley Joseph, marking the first time the pair have appeared on stage together.

Brian Conley stars in his sixth Birmingham pantomime, after his success as Buttons in last year’s Cinderella, he makes a return once again to the Hippodrome’s stage as title character Robinson Crusoe. It’s not only pantomime Conley has bought to Birmingham, recently starring as Fagin in Oliver!, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang he is certainly no stranger to Birmingham’s audiences.

Lesley Joseph joins the cast as The Enchantress of the Ocean (which she says makes her sounds like a cruise ship), in her first pantomime in the city since 1994 where she starred in Dick Whittington. After completing her current tour of Birds of a Feather with co-stars Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke, Lesley will embark on a tour of the popular play Calendar Girls before joining Robinson Crusoe.

After meeting with them both it is apparent that their chemistry on stage is going to be somewhat magical, as pantomime should be. Lesley enters the room and explains that one of the main draws to her choosing Birmingham was the magic of the Hippodrome itself and how great she thinks its facilities are, she genuinely seems happy to be spending Christmas in the city. She continues to explain how working with Brian was also a big factor in her decision making process, having never worked on stage together, they both seem excited to be working side by side. Brian seems an ideal choice for Robinson Crusoe, his goody attitude is perfect for pantomime, Lelsey explains how, even though her charatcer is supposed to be the 'fairy Godmother' of the show, she cannot help but add her 'Doreen-esque' spin to the charatcer. Having never performed this pantomime before, she is sure to make The Enchantress of the Ocean her own; she refuses to play the nice guy.

Kathryn Rooney is welcomed back for a third Christmas season, playing the role of Polly, this is Kathryn and Brian’s second pantomime after last year’s Cinderella in which she took the title role. She has also worked with Lesley on a previous tour of Calendar Girls, and, as she is from Solihull, says she is thrilled to be playing at the Hippodrome once again.

Stuart Griffiths, Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We are thrilled to welcome back Brian Conley and welcoming leading lady Lesley Joseph in what will no doubt be another spectacular and memorable show.”

Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment and Executive Producer of Robinson Crusoe added: “The show will feature an abundance of comedy, fabulous sets, and outrageous costumes, and, as Birmingham Hippodrome audiences have come to expect, surprise galore along the way!”

Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates plays at the Birmingham Hippodrome from Saturday 15 December through Sunday 27 January 2013.

- by Kieran Johnson

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