FEATURE

Wicked, but wonderful!

Christmas is almost upon us, and if ever there was a need to come together for some laughter and escapism, the time is now. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is this year’s sure-to-be perfect panto at Milton Keynes Theatre, and it stars Lesley Joseph and Rob Rinder who will reprise their roles as the Wicked Queen and the Man in the Mirror as they both make their debut panto visit to the new city. Pulse’s Sammy Jones met them...

This is the second year that Lesley and Rob will have spent Christmas together on stage, uniting communities in laughter, and bathing them in some much needed feel-good.

“We did Strictly together, and when he was asked to do panto last year, Rob said, ‘Yes, I’d love to, if I can do it with Lesley,’ because he is a friend and I think he trusts me in terms of the quality of the show,” Lesley said.

“We broke box office records last year in Bristol, during a pandemic, which is crazy. We were absolutely thrilled.”

Rob is a fan of Lesley every bit as much as he is a friend.

At the pantomime launch back in the summer, post-photoshoot he swapped his stage attire for a t-shirt emblazoned with Lesley’s face.

“I adore her – I didn’t wear it just for today,” he said at the time, “She is the Beatles of the panto world. There is no-one better and when you are on the stage she just lifts the whole thing. I learned so much from her last year. When you do something with someone who is really good at it, it makes it better for everyone else.”

Panto might be silly and bright, but those who head up the extravaganza understand the weight on their shoulders – a trip to boo the baddies and be thrilled at the happy endings is often the first time little people have ventured into the theatre.

Those early memories can influence a lifetime of return visits.

“If you can catch a child when they are young, it means you’ve got them for the rest of their life, hopefully. It’s not just something you do off the top of your head, it’s a work of art.”

Lesley has been creating panto memories for the past 30 years, but though she has made plenty of visits to MK Theatre - if you’ve got an early edition of Pulse, she is still here in

Sister Act - she has never sprinkled fairy magic on our stage.

“I love Matcham theatres which are really old, beautiful, ornate and wonderful, but as modern theatres go, I think this is fabulous, I think it is a great atmosphere here and it’s in a really good place and they run it extremely well. Shows do well here, which means there’s an audience here.

“I love pantomime, I am passionate about it, and I take it really seriously and don’t work with me if you are going to play around,” she warns, before sharing how she keeps the panto machine rolling day after day in her role as the Wicked Queen.

“For me, you have to work with an audience, you have to know when the show is going too slowly and you have to pull the strings in and drive it along.

“At Windsor Castle where we collected it, they said that they hadn’t done a two-some for a while like that.

“It was really magic and she deserved it so much,” he said of his mum’s award, “The 45 Aid Society that she runs is so extraordinary as is the amount of work she does. I always feel that I’ve cadged my honour off her coat tails really.

“But above all else what it did was highlight the importance of learning about the

The cast of this year’s panto are lining up plenty of fun and laughs for the people of Milton Keynes holocaust, not necessarily just as a part of history, but much more especially as part of citizenship, and now a programme that we made, The Holocaust, My Family and Me is being taught in schools.”

It’s an incredible achievement, but right now his focus is on something quite different - perfecting the art of the panto.

He is still learning – but with Lesley at his side, he always has an expert close at hand: “I often ask Lesley for tips, I really do, and

You are part stand-up, part dramatic actress, part comedy actress, you are telling a story, you are talking to young people, you are talking to old people...

“If you lead the company which I am and have done for many years, which I think is an honour, you have to drive the show through, and you work with the audience, you come out and talk to them and it is wonderful to break the fourth wall, but sometimes you have to pull the fourth wall back, and you think ‘they are going off on one,’ I’m going to pull them in – I’m going to get nasty now.

“You are part stand-up, part dramatic actress, part comedy actress, you are telling a story, you are talking to young people, you are talking to old people...

“With someone like me, after Birds of a Feather people feel that they know you and I can talk to them – and I can flirt with any men who are out there, there is a connection through the fourth wall.

“In this one, there are moments when I can be really funny, and sweet and loveable and then I will suddenly turn on them, ‘voom!’”

Having starred in his own television show, Judge Rinder showed off his fancy footwork competing in Strictly and heading up morning news programme Good Morning Britain, we are used to seeing Rob on the small screen.

But this is the new city’s first opportunity to see the Barrister starring as the Man in the Mirror. 2022 has been a typically busy one for Rob, or we should say Mr Rinder MBE – he was the recipient of the award for his services to Holocaust education and awarenesss.

It was all the more special, and rare, as his mother received the same MBE at the same time. They collected their gongs from the then Prince of Wales.

what is nice about her is, much like me, she is all about authenticity over kindness when I’m getting it wrong.”

With only one previous season tucked under his belt, panto is still a new phenomenon for Rob, but he can certainly wax lyrical about it.

“I know that some people, only the really dim ones, will roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders and think, ‘Oh, it’s panto,’ but only the people who are deeply stupid dismiss panto.” he says, “... because precisely like Strictly it has more than just a capacity for tawdry escapism.

“It has the limitless cultural joy of being a piece of theatre that everybody can share in. It is completely inclusive, regardless of background and regardless of age, we have people - four generations sometimes, who get that one opportunity to be transported into that magical world of Christmas.

“It has real value, it matters every time that you go out that it is fresh for everybody and being completely able to share in the delight of a real magical experience, and it can be silly and funny and the audience takes part as well. Being part of a community where people leave a space that you’ve been part of, happier than when they found you? What an absolute privilege to be able to do that.”

And all the better if you can share the experience with pals – MK’s own Greg Rutherford shared in the Strictly Come Dancing experience with Lesley and Rob, and firm friendships were formed.

Presumably, Greg will be long-jumping in to catch a performance?

“Greg will be here, 100%,” Rob answers, quick as a flash, “He is basically my spiritual husband - and you can print that!”

Lesley Joseph taking time out to chat with Pulse’s Sammy Jones

> Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at Milton Keynes Theatre, December 10, 2022 – January 8, 2023. Book your seats by clicking to atgtickets.com/MiltonKeynes

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to panto for these four, too...

Paul Chuckle will star as hapless but loveable Oddjob – and he knows a thing or two about raising laughs; with his late brother Barry, they’ve been keeping the nation smiling for decades, and pantomime has been a large part of that. “Come and see it because it is going to be loads of fun,” he invites, simply. Mind you, he’s not so sure about his hotel accommodation: “It’s a got a funny little seat in the corner with a hole in it!” he quipped.

Charlotte Haines was part of the recordbreaking team in Bristol last year, and she will be playing Snow White again this festive season. Panto in Milton Keynes isn’t a new experience for Charlotte though; she also joined Diversity on stage in MK last year for their final week of performances – with just 24 hours notice. A total pro!

Dale Mathurin was also part of the cast in 2022, and as Prince Charming, he is an instant audience favourite! “People attach themselves to fairytales – you are always going to remember Prince Charming and you are always going to remember the Princesses and the Queens. Being a part of some child’s introduction to that kind of world and genre, I do feel a responsibility. “Especially because there will be young kids in the audience that look like me and they will see me as a handsome Prince. I think that’s a projection to put out there.”

Comedian and impressionist Aaron James is set to be all of a Muddles throughout December. “I did Woking last year, which was Snow White too. I’m hoping it’s the same script as well, which would be handy!” he quipped.