Marlowe Theatre Announces Panto Plans In Response To Tier 3

The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury has announced changes to the opening date of its fun-sized, socially distanced pantomime Nurse Nellie Saves Panto.

Due to the county of Kent having moved into Tier 3 restrictions, the much-anticipated production is now planned to premiere on Saturday 19th December and will run until Sunday 10th January.

With over 14,000 tickets already sold for the production, the theatre team have been doing all that they can to ensure that Kent audiences don't miss out on their traditional pantomime visit. With rehearsals in theatres still permitted, the cast of Nurse Nellie Saves Panto began rehearsing together this week on Wednesday (2 December) and all government safety measures are being followed.

The Marlowe's Chief Executive, Deborah Shaw, said: "The recent news that Kent has been moved into Tier 3 restrictions has certainly proved to be a challenge, but we are in no doubt about how much our audiences love their pantomime visit and we are doing everything we can to make it happen. We are hoping that Kent moves into Tier 2 restrictions before Christmas, as this will mean that the show can go ahead. Our primary aim is to make sure that we can all enjoy a live pantomime together, if humanly possible."

Asked for her comment on the evolving situation, panto legend Nurse Nellie said: "Come on Kent, we can do this. We must have a pantomime in Canterbury this Christmas - it's the law!"

Rumours that SAGE scientists were demanding a socially distanced, 12m long, pantomime ghost-gag bench were still unconfirmed last night, despite intense speculation in the press and on social media.

As well as announcing the revised opening date, the theatre team have also revealed further details of the production's cast.

Nurse Nellie Saves Panto will star much-loved panto legend Ben Roddy who has played the Dame in The Marlowe's pantomimes for the last eleven years.

As well as performing at The Marlowe, Ben has recently appeared at the Swan Theatre (Stratford-upon-Avon) for the Royal Shakespeare Company in The Provoked Wife and Venice Preserved. He also appeared in the films Innocent Crimes, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and Patrick. Ben was awarded Dame of the Year at The Great British Pantomime Awards for his role in The Marlowe's production of Peter Pan in 2018

The role of Fairy Moonshot will be played by Chanice Alexander-Burnett, who has performed in a number of top West End shows. Her past stage roles have included appearances in Motown The Musical, The Book Of Mormon and Beautiful: The Carole King Story.

Cara Dudgeon, who was recently nominated as Best Female at The Great British Pantomime Awards, will be playing the role of Jill. Having performed in a number of top musicals tours, including Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and a dance show with Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe from Strictly Come Dancing, Cara has also made TV appearances on shows such as Bernard's Watch, My Parent's Are Aliens, Jamie Johnson and This Is England.

Kent comedian Lloyd Hollett returns in the role of Billy, marking his 10th appearance in a Marlowe pantomime. Lloyd has performed for audiences all around the world and also writes comedy scripts for Stephen Mulhern. He has also released two live comedy DVDs and appeared at The Marlowe Studio with his latest show Live & Electric.

Every pantomime needs an evil-doer to hiss-and-boo at and children's TV favourite, Ian Kirby, promises to unleash a dastardly plan to bring down pantomime in the role of The Baddie. Ian is known to TV fans for his appearances as various different characters in Dick & Dom In Da Bungalow, The Legend Of Dick And Dom, Diddy Movies, Hoopla and most recently, Diddy TV. Ian also created and portrayed the characters of Frank Burgess, the strict disciplinarian prison officer, in The Slammer (currently enjoying a re-run on CBBC) and the hard-hitting Geordie copper Harry Batt for whom he co-wrote a one-off comedy special. He is also part of the recent TV revival of Crackerjack! and next year he will be seen as the new pirate Sandy Toes in CBeebies favourite Swashbuckle.

As with the regular Marlowe pantomimes, Nurse Nellie Saves Panto is a co-production with The Marlowe Theatre and Evolution Productions and it is written and directed by Paul Hendy.

Telling the story of what happens when a baddie attempts to steal the joy of pantomime, Nurse Nellie Saves Panto promises audiences a fun-sized show that will feature plenty of their favourite Marlowe pantomime moments, some great musical numbers and (of course) the legendary ghost gag bench.

Nurse Nellie Saves Panto will be performed to a socially-distanced audience, meaning that there will be fewer people in the auditorium than normal to ensure the appropriate distancing between different groups of audience members. The Marlowe team will also be complying with all of the latest government guidance and the highest industry standards to ensure that the theatre is COVID-secure.

Tickets are now on sale and selling fast. With limited seating available, ticket demand is high and customers are advised to book early.

Audiences whose tickets are affected by the change of opening date will be contacted directly by the theatre team in the next few days. Customers can book with confidence in the knowledge that they will be entitled to a refund or credit voucher if any scheduled performance doesn't take place.

Tickets can be booked, via marlowetheatre.com or by calling The Marlowe's Box Office team on 01227 787787.

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