Last year’s run of Jack and the Beanstalk broke box office records and Wicked’s Tom Swift hopes to have audiences ‘hooked’ once again.
Mr Swift plays Smee alongside fellow Wicked stalwart and TV legend Michael Fenton Stevens, aka Sea Dog Sally – and promises all the usual gags, wisecracks and routines.
Joining the cast this year is Chris Ellison, well known as DCI Frank Burnside in The Bill, who plays Captain Hook, while David Young is Peter Pan, local talent Lauren Brindley plays Wendy and Verity Rae Martin is Tiger Lily.
Kat Portman Smith of the EM Forster said: “We are delighted to be working with Tom Swift and Wicked Productions again to give our audiences a festive treat to remember.
“Each year we see generations of families and friends returning, and new audiences coming along to enjoy Wicked’s brilliantly funny and magical family pantomimes. This year’s Peter Pan will be a cracker.”
Mr Swift said: “We’re thrilled to be back at the EM Forster theatre for our fourth year with one of our favourite pantomimes.
“We can’t wait to bring this hilarious production to the Tonbridge stage and we know after many re-writes of the script that it’s going to be our funniest yet.
“With an amazingly talented cast, new songs and bags full of magic, Peter Pan is not to be missed.”
Charities will benefit…
This year the two worthy causes that will benefit from bucket donations at the end of each performance are Sustain Foodbank and Taylor Made Dreams.
Sustain is a community foodbank that helps individuals and families across Tonbridge who are experiencing financial difficulties.
It is estimated that one in five people in the UK now suffer from what has become known as ‘food poverty’.
The foodbank was set up at Tonbridge Baptist Church and provides on average 30 food parcels a week, along with personal hygiene and cleaning products, to those referred by care agencies.
The money raised will go towards buying items that are needed at specific times of year such as Christmas and the school summer holidays.
The Baptist Church’s Pastoral Minister, Jon Knight, said: “Many of us will have had food available every day of our lives and it is hard to imagine what it must be like for a parent not to be able to feed his or her child enough, or even at all.”
Taylor Made Dreams is a Crowborough-based charity that enables children with life-limiting illnesses to fulfil their ‘bucket list’ of ambitions and spend quality time with their families.
Founded by Suzi Mitchell, whose son Taylor passed away aged 15, it also sources and financially supports holistic therapy and counselling.
