The Lyric Hammersmith's ALADDIN Announces Its Full Cast

The Lyric Hammersmith today announces full casting for its Christmas show, Aladdin. The Lyric's annual panto returns when Aladdin flies into Hammersmith on his magic carpet for some festive fun in true Lyric style. Fresh for 2016, the show will be full of colourful characters, live music, lots of laughs and of course the magical Genie.

Award-winning comedian, Vikki Stone will play Abanazer joining Karl Queensborough who returns to the Lyric Stage as Aladdin after playing the Prince in last year's Lyric panto, Cinderella. The Lyric will also continue its commitment to nurturing young talent with a six strong young ensemble.

Joel Horwood will pick up the reins again to write this year's panto and Ellen McDougall, newly appointed as Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre also returns to direct, alongside other members of last year's creative team, Oliver Townsend (Set Design), Corin Buckeridge (Musical Composition) and Lainie Baird (Choreography).

As part of the Lyric's commitment to the local community, they will provide 2,000 free tickets to Aladdin for Hammersmith & Fulham schools. They will also provide a relaxed performance for the first time for panto after the success of the one they presented for Bugsy Malone.

Allyson Ava-Brown plays Jasmine

Theatre credits include: The Quiet House (Birmingham Rep/Park Theatre); Etienne Sisters, Beauty & The Beast, Crowning Glory, Jack & The Beanstalk, Martina Cole's Dangerous Lady (Theatre Royal Stratford East); In Bed (London Theatre Workshop); Snakes And Ladders (UK Tour); Puss In Boots (Hackney Empire); Les Miserables (Queens Theatre); The Swallowing Dark (Liverpool Playhouse/Theatre503) The Wiz (Birmingham Rep/West Yorkshire Playhouse).

Television credits include: Doctors, Casualty, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Bear Behaving Badly, The Wrong Door, Basil Brush Show, Eastenders, Sea Of Souls, Kerching! and Holby City.

Allyson has recently been nominated for Best Performance for Etienne Sisters in the UK Theatre Awards.

James Doherty plays Widow Twankey

Theatre credits include: London Road, NT:50 (National Theatre); Eventide (Arcola); Beyond Caring, (UK/European Tour); Chicago (Garrick); Marguerite (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Les Miserables (Palace Theatre); Kiss Me Kate (Royal Albert Hall); God Of Carnage (Northampton Theatre Royal); Teenage Kicks (Edinburgh Festival); Teechers (Haymarket); House & Garden (HarroGate Theatre); Gangster No 1, Harlequinade and Separate Tables (King's Head).

Film and television credits include: London Road, In The Loop, The Forgotten, Backbeat. Veep, The Thick Of It, Him & Her The Wedding, Rev, Miranda, Delicious, From The Cradle To The Grave, The Job Lot, Top Coppers, Endeavour, Ambassadors, Boomers, The IT Crowd, Phoneshop, Count Arthur Strong, A Touch Of Cloth, Mongrels, Katy Brand Show, Todd Margaret, Watson & Oliver, Small Potatoes, The Jury, The Royal, Peak Practice, Footballers Wives, Is Harry on The Boat, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors and The Bill.

Arthur McBain plays Wishy Washy

Theatre credits include: Dunsinane (RSC/National Theatre of Scotland/US Tour), Elexion, Victory, The State We're In (Theatre503) and Life On A Plum (Soho Theatre).

Film and television credits include: Warlords, Blue Eyes and The Dog Thrower.

Arthur is also a children's book author

Malinda Parris plays Genie

Theatre credits include: The Light Princess, Caroline, Or Change (National Theatre); Robin

Hood (Mayflower); Little Shop Of Horrors (Wolsey Theatre); Anansi Trades Places (Talawa

Theatre); Parade (Donmar Warehouse) and Footloose (UK Tour).

Film credits include: Caught In A Trap.

Karl Queensborough plays Aladdin

For the Lyric: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Brisbane Festival/Dublin Theatre Festival), Cinderella (2015), Morning (also Traverse), Depth Charge (with Gecko) Identity Crisis, The First Thing That Ever Ever Happened (with Peepolykus) Jack and the Beanstalk (2009), Dick Whittington (2010).

Other theatre credits include: A Wolf In Snakeskin Shoes (Tricycle Theatre); The Machine Stops (York Theatre Royal/UK Tour); Only The Brave (The Musical) (Wales Millennium Centre); Igniting, Out Of Reach (Frantic Assembly) and 365 (National Theatre Of Scotland).

Film and television credits include: Casualty, Sniggers With Attitude, Wednesday's Child and Sex, Lies & DVD's.

Karl trained at The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and was runner-up for the Carleton Hobbs Bursary 2015.

Dale Rapley plays Emperor

For the Lyric: A Christmas Carol

Other theatre credits include: King John (Rose Theatre Kingston); Richard III (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse); Wicked (UK Tour); Larisa & The Merchants, Professor Bernhardi (Arcola); Hello Dolly! (Leicester Curve); The Merchant of Venice & Holding Fire (Shakespeare's Globe); Heartbreak House (Palace, Watford); Mamma Mia! (Novello); A Midsummer Night's Dream, High Society (Regents Park Open Air Theatre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (RSC) and Six Characters Looking for an Author (Young Vic).

Film & television credits include: Silent Witness, Poirot, Spooks, Doctors, Aquila, EastEnders, Casualty; Mein Prinz, Mein König and Paper Mask.

Vikki Stone plays Abanazer

Television credits include: Uncle, The John Bishop Show, The Funny Thing About..., Ten Pieces, Safe Word and Titch and Ted.

Radio credits include: Proms Unplucked, The Now Show, Essential Classics.

Vikki is a multi-award-winning comedian, actress and musician. Vikki trained at The Royal Academy of Music.

Young Ensemble: Cyrus Barghchi, Madeline Charlemagne, Amber Edwards, David Fieller, Isabella Shaw and Violet Vincent

Joel Horwoo - Writer

For the Lyric: Secret Theatre: A Stab in the Dark, A Series Of Increasingly Impossible Acts, Cinderella (co-written with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm 2012) and Dick Whittington (co-written with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm 2010).

Other theatre credits include: I Want My Hat Back (National Theatre); The Little Mermaid (Bristol Old Vic Theatre); The Planet And Stuff (Polka Theatre); I Heart Peterborough (Soho Theatre); The Count Of Monte Cristo (West Yorkshire Playhouse); I Caught Crabs In Walberswick (The Pleasance/UK Tour/The Bush); Is Everyone OK? (Latitude Festival/UK Tour); Stoopud Fucken Animals (Traverse Theatre); Food (Traverse Theatre) and Mikey the Pikey (The Pleasance/UK tour).

Ellen McDougall- Director

For the Lyric: Cinderella (2015), Secret Theatre: Glitterland

Other theatre credits include: The Remains of Maisie Duggan (The Abbey Theatre); The Rolling Stone (Manchester Royal Exchange/ Orange Tree Theatre); The Glass Menagerie (West Yorkshire Playhouse/UK Tour); Anna Karenina, Idomeneus (Gate Theatre); Spring Awakening (RWCMD); Henry the Fifth, Nutcracker, Not Now Bernard, Antigone/Philoctetes (Unicorn Theatre); Telling Tales (Almeida Theatre); Ivan and the Dogs nominated for an Olivier Award 2011 (ATC/Soho Theatre/Rustaveli Theatre); A Kind of Alaska JMK Award Runner Up (BAC).

Ellen has recently been named Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre. She was formerly Associate Director at the Gate Theatre (2012-13) and Associate Artist at ATC (2009-11). She trained as an assistant to Katie Mitchell, Marianne Elliott and Bijan Sheibani and was Director in Residence at the NT Studio. She received an Arts Council International Development Award 2012 and the Runner Up Prize for the JMK Award 2008.

Set Design -Oliver Townsend

Costume Design - Jean Chan

Lighting - Tim Deiling

Composed & arranged by - Corin Buckeridge

Sound - Andy Graham

Choreography - Lainie Baird

Musical Direction - Benjamin Holder

Casting -Will Burton CDG

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