Preston pantomime is box office smash hit

The stars of Preston's Pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, from left, Charlotte Dalton as Jill, Linda Nolan as The Fairy, Phil Walker as Jack, Ian Good as Dame Trott and Marvyn Dickinson as Fleshcreep.

Seats sold for Jack and the Beanstalk at the Charter Theatre are 3,286 up on the same time last year, and in December, 83 per cent of the available capacity was sold.

Lytham-based comedian Phil Walker, who wrote the pantomime and stars as Jack, said he was thrilled by the news.

He said: “I’m overwhelmed by the audience response and the number of full houses.

“Last year was the first time I wrote a pantomime at Preston and we did Sleeping Beauty. I like to think that people enjoyed that and this year told a few friends about it.”

This season’s pantomime - only the second time the production has been taken in-house, runs until January 5, with matinee and evening performances.

Joining Phil on stage as fairy is Linda Nolan of The Nolans, Ian Good appears as Dame Trott in what is his 30th year in panto, Marvyn Dickinson from CBBC’s Class Dismissed is the Giants evil henchmen Fleshcreep and local lass Charlotte Dalton plays Jill.

Phil added: “It’s a great cast, everyone’s so strong at singing and comedy.

“This year I’ve had more time to put the show together and the sets are more spectaucular too, it’s probably the best set I’ve ever seen.

“It’s like walking into a pop-up book with quirky little houses.

“It looks magical, it literally jumps out at you.

“The Charter Theatre is also a great place to perform. As soon as you walk in it feels intimate, as if you’re among the audience. That’s great for building a good atmosphere.

“The first week we performed, it was mainly school children who came to watch, then you start to get more parents and the jokes for the adults get more of a laugh.”

When they have finished their run, the cast will have performed 40 shows.

“They’ve been coming thick and fast, twice a day”, said Phil.

“When we’ve finished I’ve got two stand-up gigs in January, but apart from that, I’m putting my feet up for a while.”

Tickets are now on sale for next year’s pantomime Aladdin. For more information about tickets and availability, visit: https://prestonguildhall.co.uk/shows/