Britain’s Got Talent Winner loving thought of south coast panto this Christmas
He will be in the title role in Dick Whittington at the Kings Theatre, Southsea from November 29-December 31.
“This must be my 18th or 19th panto. I’ve done every Christmas with one Christmas off since 2012. I’ve also done Easter pantos and summer pantos and they’re still pantos. You have to make a few changes at Easter and in the summer, and maybe you don’t get exactly the same feeling, but they are still pantos. But I just love panto. Panto was my first experience of theatre as a child. I used to get taken along and I think it’s really just about the magic and the family feel. And panto is a beautiful way to do that, to enjoy all the madness. I used to go along and watch Jack and the Beanstalk and I used to think I would love to be Jack and beat up a giant! I’m one of five children, and it used to be part of Christmas and now it’s great to see it from the other side and to be part of the panto, to be out there on stage and to remember when you are looking out at the audience that for a lot of them it’s their first experience of theatre.
“I think timing is key with pantomime. You’ve also got to have a good ensemble. The show has got to be funny, but it can’t just be all gags. It has got to have a beautiful set and beautiful scenery and beautiful costumes. It has got to be Britain does Disney. But it’s also got to have a story. It’s got to have a beginning, a middle and an end. I really think the story is the most important thing.
“This is my first time doing Dick Whittington. As I said, I remember watching Jack and the Beanstalk growing up and I remember I used to love thinking that I know that the giant is coming and I know what’s going to happen. Obviously you’ve got to have some surprises but you want it to be familiar too and I just remember the feeling of being there with my family.
I have played Portsmouth before. I came here in 2017 with a musical called Our House. We came to Portsmouth for a week. I’d done a show before in the West End that was broadly musical theatre but really Our House was my my first proper musical theatre.”
For George it’s all been a great ride since winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2008: “I was a 14-year-old boy. I’m 31 now and I can hardly believe it but it’s amazing. I’ve done some incredible things in my time and I’ve been very lucky that I’ve had a constant stream and flow of work since then. Not everybody gets that, but really all of that is underpinned by one night 16 years ago. Sometimes I look back on it on YouTube and it’s look like watching a moment in time. It’s so different when you’re watching it back to actually being in that moment. It just all happened so fast.”
The Southsea cast is Lorraine Stanley – Queen Rat; George Sampson – Dick Whittington; Jack Edwards – Dame Dolly; Silly Billy – Joe Rowntree; Dick Whittington’s Cat – Jacob Bailey; Alice Fitzwarren – Imogen Bailey; and Fairy BowBells – Julia Worsley. Tickets from the venue.
