Lancashire lad returns – as a pirate

It will be a happy home-coming for young Lancashire actor James Dangerfield as he takes centre stage in one of this summer’s open air plays at Lytham Hall.
James DangerfieldJames Dangerfield
James Dangerfield

James will return to his home town after being cast by director Oliver Gray to play Frederic in Illyria’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, which will be at the Hall on Sunday, July 6, at 6pm.

James, 27, was educated at King Edward & Queen Mary School in Lytham and Durham University, before moving on to study musical theatre at London Guildhall School of Acting. This is his fourth summer with Illyria and he is looking forward to a return visit to Lytham.

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He said: “This is a major challenge for me and very different from the roles of Orlando and Audrey in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, which I played for Illyria last summer, or my recent role of Dandini in pantomime at The Marina Theatre in Lowestoft.

“Performing in my home town in front of family and friends always makes it a very special evening for me.”

Julian Wilde, organiser of the outdoor theatre season, feels many local theatre enthusiasts on the Fylde coast will be keen to see James again after his widely-praised portrayal of the dashing Orlando and the manic Audrey last summer.

He said: “James established his reputation as a versatile actor with fine performances at KEQMS and the Lytham Academy of Theatre Arts, and it is excellent to watch him doing so well in his career with Illyria.

“Pirates is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular operettas and it will be interesting to see how director Oliver Gray presents the play.

“I think we are in for a memorable evening.”