We’re a third of the way through the fabulously camp production of Wicked Witches, a mashup of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, at the Pleasance theatre in Islington, north London. Dor (formerly known as Dorothy) and Tin 2.0 need guidance on how to take down the Wicked Witch and save the borough of Oz-lington from a great blizzard.
But wait! Who’s that Facetiming? It’s only Jeremy Corbyn, the wise Wizard of Oz-lington! The 200-person audience cheers and applauds the Islington North MP, who looks as if he’s beaming in from the allotment.
“It’s me, the Wizard,” Corbyn says. “I’ve been very busy planning a party, a new party. It’s harder than it sounds.”
Shortly thereafter, we’re treated to an even battier on-screen cameo: Sir Ian McKellen as Toto the dog, complete with a pair of furry ears and a fluffy coat.
The Olivier winner licks, pants and expresses relief that he’s no longer in Cats with James Corden. “We didn’t even tell him to mention Corden,” Dor quips, much to the audience’s delight.
The cameos from two national figures have done much to raise the profile of this local panto in recent weeks, underlining how familiar faces can still bolster the art form.
Tickets for the Pleasance’s adult version of the kid-friendly show have “flown out the door”, according to Ellie Simpson, the venue’s head of theatre.
“This is our first panto in 20 years,” Simpson said. “We knew it would be a huge risk, with no additional funding. But we’re now looking at putting on extra shows.
“Jeremy’s involvement has added a stamp of approval, and Sir Ian playing one of the world’s smallest on-screen dogs has been brilliant – the ad libs had us shaking behind the camera trying not to laugh.”
Pantomime has long traded on celebrity casting, a tradition that took hold in the mid-20th century when soap stars and pop acts began treating the festive season as a reliable sideline. A familiar name on the poster can lift a theatre’s December takings, while audiences relish the chaos of seeing a star muddle through “he’s behind you!”
“There’s a truism, particularly in regional theatre, that goes: ‘no panto, no Pinter’,” says Nick Curtis, chief theatre critic at the Standard. “Pantos basically bankroll the rest of the year, including the more serious work theatres do.
“They’re also very important for relationship building. If you get the families when they’re young, they may come back to join your youth theatre, or take a punt on a Shakespeare later in your season.”
West End venues such as the Andrew Lloyd Webber-owned Palladium represent the top end of the market, with glossy spectacles and ticket prices to match. But regional theatres balance modest budgets with the need to draw audiences night after night. “Having a celebrity name attached can make a difference,” Curtis added.
In recent years, ticket sales for pantomimes have continued to climb, highlighting their role as the “lifeblood” of UK theatres. Hannah Essex, co-CEO of Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, told the Guardian that pantomime is “one of the most powerful entry points into theatre”.
Data from 52 regional venues shows that in 2024, nearly a third of all performances and more than a quarter of attendances and ticket revenue came in December. About 1.1 million people saw a Christmas production at regional theatres, generating almost £31m in revenue.
Historically, pantos dominate the festive period: The Stage found that in 2016 they accounted for 45% of seasonal revenue (compared with 29% for musicals).
While the rate for celebrities in pantos can be high (last year, Alison Hammond was reportedly paid about £3,000 a show over a 65-performance run in Birmingham), technology has reduced the financial strain for smaller theatres. Stars can increasingly contribute via short on-screen cameos or pre-recorded voiceovers, without having to commit to weeks of nightly performances.
This year, Stephen Fry voices the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk at Watford Palace theatre, while Brian Cox voices the same role at Dundee Rep theatre. Last year, Judi Dench lent her voice to the Magic Mirror in Snow White at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds. And it’s a phenomenon evident beyond panto: John Malkovich appears in an on-screen cameo in the London stage adaptation of The Hunger Games.
Steve Marmion, chief executive of Watford Palace theatre, notes that pantos make up about a quarter of his venue’s turnover and a third of its audience.
“Funding cuts have made panto more important than ever,” he said. “The generational tradition of it means it’s not dropped off the list of things to do. My mum always described it as the only time of year she saw her mum wear lipstick.”
According to Marmion, celebrity involvement is a nice extra detail. “We can’t afford to take thousands a week out of our income to pay for a big star, but technology means stars can now support multiple theatres in a single afternoon with high-quality home recordings. Having Stephen Fry voicing the Giant is a really good balance for us.”
At the end of the show at the Pleasance, I overhear audience members debriefing on the performances of Corbyn and McKellen.
Simpson emphasises that the fun of the cameo goes hand in hand with its practical impact. “Isn’t this what a local MP should be doing – getting involved with the community, especially the arts, which have struggled so much after the pandemic? All in the name of fun and silliness.”
