Wolverhampton Grand Theatre: Drag Race winner and top TV impressionist lead celebrity line up for panto Sleeping Beauty
Television celebrities including RuPaul’sDrag Race UK winner Danny Beard have been unveiled in the cast line up for this year's Wolverhampton Grand Theatre pantomime.
Sleeping Beauty, based on the classic Disney tale, will run at the theatre, in Lichfield Street, from Saturday November 29 to Sunday January 4. The cast will be led by the drag queen and comedy impressionist Debra Stephenson, who appeared in ITV's Coronation Street.
Danny steps into villainous shoes to play Carabosse. The star was the first ever bearded drag queen to win the BBC Three reality contest three years ago and also appeared on ITV's Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, coming second.
While Debra, will play Queen Bertha of Bilstonia. As a comedic impressionist she is best known as star of BBC One’s highly rated The Impressions Show and is a longstanding member of the team which produces BBC Radio 4’s Dead Ringers. She has also been on ITV’s Spitting Image and Imitation Game as well as the critically acclaimed ITV’s Newzoids. And as an actress she has had long running roles in Coronation Street, Bad Girls and BBC’s Holby City.
Creative Director of Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Tim Colegate will be producing Sleeping Beauty as the show is once again being brought in-house rather than be produced by an external company.
Mr Colegate said: “Once again, the Grand Theatre pantomime is coming together with a magical recipe of cast members, bringing together national stars and championing local talent, too. We really want to create something for everyone in this line up, plus a brand-new set and costumes designed especially for the Grand.
"We are very proud to produce this show in-house and are all totally committed to giving our treasured audiences everything they have come to expect from a Wolverhampton Grand pantomime. I am aiming for dazzling choreography, fabulous musical numbers and of course comedy by the bucket load."
Zak Douglas from Wolverhampton will play The Herald in the show. He is a regular television personality having starred in BAFTA-nominated ITV Comedy The Good Ship Murder, After Life and appeared in Sky’s Lockerbie with Colin Firth." Solomon Davy, also from Wolverhampton, made his West End debut as Kenickie in Grease at the Dominion Theatre in 2023, shortly after graduating from The Wilkes Academy. Earlier this year, Solomon toured to Wolverhampton Grand as Link Larkin in Hair-spray.
He is currently playing Chad Manford in The Code at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. He joins Georgia Iudica-Davies, who was recently seen at the Grand Theatre in Bat Out Of Hell.
The newly-announced cast members join Tam Ryan and Ian Adams, who once again reunite to write the pantomime and star in their fifth and ninth pantomimes respectively.
Danny Beard was the runner-up in Celebrity Big Brother UK 2025, having participated in the show without wearing drag for most of the time, viewing the drag persona as "armor". The drag performer, singer, and podcaster is also known for winning RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 4 in 2022.
Last panto season saw Gladiators' Giant on the stage for the successful in-house production of Beauty and The Beast.
Tickets for the Sleeping Beauty pantomine are available at grandtheatre.co.uk
