The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre today announces the cast for Cinderella, with Timmika Ramsay playing the title role in her Lyric and Panto debut.
The Lyric’s annual Pantomime will be directed by Tinuke Craig and written by the returning Jude Christian, co-writer and director of last year’s panto, Dick Whittington. Expect a mix of live music, bonkers characters, awesome adventures, singing, dancing, good guys, bad guys (behind you!) and dreams of astrophysical quantum accelecommunicatian.
Joining Timmika are Shobna Gulati (Madame Meanie), best known for playing Sunita Alahan in Coronation Streetand Anita in dinnerladies, and Rhys Taylor (Fairy Fredbare) who’s recent work includes Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens at the Union Theatre.
Cinderella’s step-sisters will be played by Mairi Barclay (Topsy) and Lauren Samuels (Popsy). Jodie Jacobs (Buttons) returns to the Lyric stage after playing Bow Belles in Dick Whittington last year.
The Lyric’s annual pantomime is now in its 11th year, having run every year since Richard Bean, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Joel Horwood and Ché Walker’s adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk opened in 2009, directed by Steve Marmion with Stephen Fry as the voice of the giant. Mel Giedroyc, Vikki Stone and Stevie Webb have all joined the Lyric’s pantomime over the years to sing ‘Glory Glory Hammersmith’.
As part of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s commitment to nurturing young talent, the main cast will be joined by an ensemble of young performers: Jon Alderson, Bradley Bryant, Melanie Joyce-Ashurst, Jessica Manu, Carla Reid and Rachel Shobande.
The pantomime has launched many new careers through the Panto Ensemble, a group of young performers given training and the experience of taking to the stage to perform, many in their first paid professional roles. Previous Ensemble members have included Nathan Byron who has appeared in Benidorm, Krystal Dockery who after the ensemble went on to play the title role in Cinderella at the Lyric, Karl Queensborough who played the title role in Aladdin at the Lyric in 2016, and Jamael Westman who played the title role in Hamilton in the West End.
