Simon Hadley
Heading the cast as the handsome Prince is John Partridge, who has recently completed a West End run of A Chorus Line at the London Palladium. He was also part of the panel for the hugely-successful BBC series Over the Rainbow, for which he was a judge for this year’s Snow White, Danielle Hope.
At the pantomime launch, it was announced that Over The Rainbow winner Danielle Hope will play the role of Snow White. The win secured Hope the lead role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, after which she went on to play Éponine in Les Misérables.
The Wicked Queen will be played by stage, TV and film actress Stephanie Beacham. Beacham’s credits include the hit television series Tenko, Bad Girls and The Colbys, but she is best remembered for playing the role of Sable in the US TV series Dynasty.
Gok Wan makes his pantomime debut in Birmingham as The Man in The Mirror. Leicester-born Wan achieved huge success with his Channel 4 series How to Look Good Naked and has since enjoyed regular appearances on television, most recently in Channel 4’s The Secret Millions.
Gary Wilmot, a firm favourite with Birmingham Hippodrome audiences, will be marking his first performance as pantomime Dame. Wilmot played the role of Buttons in the 1995 production of Cinderella at the Hippodrome, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the West End and Birmingham, and starred in the hit productions of The Goodbye Girl and Me and My Girl.
Following his popular appearance in Robin Hood at the Birmingham Hippodrome in 2008, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin returns to play the role of Muddles. Zerdin, star of the Royal Variety Performance and Comedy Rocks, will be bringing along a few of his friends, including the cheeky and loveable Sam. Comedian Matt Slack, who has appeared in productions such as Hot Flush!, Boogie Nights the 70s Musical and Blood Brothers in the West End, will play the role of Oddjob.
Michael Harrison, managing director of Qdos Entertainment’s pantomime division and director of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, said: “I’m thrilled and delighted to have assembled this galaxy of stars for this year’s spectacular Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime. It’s a long time since Snow White was last performed at the Theatre and it seems fitting that its return as Britain’s biggest pantomime should feature such an incredible cast. This brand-new production is set to be the most spectacular Birmingham has ever seen.”
Stuart Griffiths, chief executive of Birmingham Hippodrome said: “Birmingham Hippodrome has a long-standing reputation as the venue for the UK’s premiere pantomime, attracting the largest audience anywhere in the world. We are delighted that this year’s production features one of the most star-studded pantomime casts the Hippodrome has had.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from on Thursday 19 December 2013 until Sunday 2 February 2014.
