Beverley Knight to make pantomime debut in Birmingham's Cinderella
Wolverhampton's Beverley Knight will perform in her first-ever pantomime this year at Birmingham Hippodrome.
The 44-year-old actress and singer will take on the role of The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.
Other stars set to take part in the show are Strictly Come Dancing's Danny Mac, Birmingham comic Matt Slack, comedians The Grumbleweeds, comedy female impersonator Ceri Dupree and Phil Randall.
Playing the main role of Cinderella will be Suzanne Shaw, formerly of pop group Hear'Say. She is also known for appearing on Emmerdale and Dancing On Ice.
Prince Charming will be played by Danny Mac.
Revealing this year’s casting, producer and director Michael Harrison said: “This year’s fantastic line-up will ensure another smash-hit pantomime for Birmingham Hippodrome in 2017/18.
"With so many stars across the worlds of music, theatre, dance and comedy I’m delighted we’ve assembled such a stellar cast for Birmingham’s ultimate pantomime.
"Once again there’ll be plenty of laughs, surprises and audience participation to look forward to, so audiences should book their tickets to the ball today.”
The pantomime will once again be produced by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, with Michael Harrison as producer and director for the eighth consecutive year. He has recently brought his successful productions of Funny Girl and The Bodyguard to Birmingham Hippodrome.
Looking ahead to the show, artistic director and chief executive of Birmingham Hippodrome Fiona Allan, said: "We are hugely excited to play host to Beverley Knight in her pantomime debut this festive season.
"Pantomime is incredibly important to us at Birmingham Hippodrome and we’re extremely proud of our long-standing relationship with Qdos, who continue to entertain and delight audiences from across the region year on year with their unique mixture of storytelling, lavish special effects and hilarious comedy.
"This year’s line-up promises something for everyone, and with the clock already ticking, it’s never too early to start planning in some Christmas fun."
The pantomime will run at the city centre theatre from Tuesday, December 19, 2017, to Sunday, January, 28, 2018.
Tickets for the show, starting at £15.50, are now on sale.
