Chris to appear in Panto

[Leanne]

Hollyoaks and Bill stars coming to our panto



TV stars are set to sparkle in Grays after the Thameside Theatre announced the casting for its popular Christmas pantomime.

This year will see traditional favourite, rags-to-riches tale Cinderella, come to the theatre for its seasonal special, and it will feature the talents of celebrity cast members Gemma Bissix and Chris Simmons.

Gemma – who’s best known for playing scheming Clare Devine in Hollyoaks and equally gold digging Clare Bates in EastEnders – will be shedding her evil soap guise to take on the the fluttering role of Fairy Flustered, who’ll be doing her best to make Cinderella’s dreams come true.


And Chris, who played DC Mickey Webb in TV drama The Bill, will be getting the audience giggling as Cinderella’s best pal Buttons.

The show will also see West End actor and audience favourite Wain Douglas as one of the Ugly Sisters, after his performance as the pantomime Dame in last year’s Aladdin brought the house down.

The panto is once again under the creative control of Polka Dot Pantomimes, who put on Aladdin last year.

It went down a treat with audiences and they pride themselves on their appealing combination of West End stars and familiar faces from the TV, as well as spectacular scenery, glittering costumes and magical seasonal surprises.


Craig Revel Horwood is the Wicked Queen in Snow White with Ann Widdecombe. 7 Dec-5 Jan.

www.wycombeswan.co.uk

The classic panto follows the story of Cinderella, who lives with her Ugly Stepsisters and her wicked stepmother who forces her to do all the cleaning and won’t hear of her going to the ball thrown by Prince Charming.

But with a little help from Buttons and her fairy godmother, it looks like Cinderella may just get the chance to dance with her prince and win his heart.

Cinderella is at the Thameside Theatre, in Orsett Road, Grays, from December 7 to January 6. Tickets are available from 0845 3005264.

There’s an early bird deal, so if you book by 5pm on October 9 you can save up to £3.50 per ticket.

[Leanne]

SHE’S best known as Nigel’s stepdaughter in EastEnders and super-vixen Claire Devine from Hollyoaks whereas he pounded the beat on The Bill – now they are set to bring a double dose of stardust to Grays this festive season.

Soap opera stars Gemma Bissix and Chris Simmons will be heading up the cast for the Thameside Theatre’s Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, which will run for 55 performances from December to January.

Gemma, 29, is hoping to shed her bad girl reputation as Fairy Flustered.


The actress, who joined EastEnders aged just nine as Claire Bates, has already got plenty of theatre experience under her belt, but it’s her role as calculating Claire on Hollyoaks that she’s most famous for.

Gemma said: “I had a great time on EastEnders, but Hollyoaks was fun because I got to be so bad.

“The public really hated Claire. People still sometimes hurl insults. Once I went into Sainsbury’s and the cashier refused to serve me!

“As an actor is goes with the territory, but actually it’s quite a compliment because if she thinks it’s real then I must be doing a good job.”

Gemma, who also featured in the 2009 series of Dancing on Ice, has most recently been treading the boards in a play in Milton Keynes, but said she’d love to make it from Hollyoaks to Hollywood.



She said: “I’d love to do a costume drama, a Pride and Prejudice style film, but I think I have to branch out a bit from soap opera work first.

"My gran is always saying to me ‘you are so bad in everything, why can’t you play someone nice?’ So it would be great to be in a film.”

Meanwhile the part of Buttons will be played by Chris Simmons.

The actor, who grew up in Gravesend, Kent, made his name as Det Con Mickey Webb on the Bill, but has also appeared in EastEnders as one of Kat Moon’s lovers.

He said: “I can’t wait. This job looks like lot of fun. “It’s a lot of shows and will be hard work, but I can’t wait.

“The Bill seems like a long time ago now, but I’ve been pretty busy since.”

Before his acting days Chris, who now lives in Greenwich, had a variety of jobs including working with his dad as a diver on the River Thames. In fact Chris once had to pull a dead body out of the river at Tilbury.

He recalled: “I was only about 19. It was really sad, a woman in a car who had committed suicide.

“I don’t think I was cut out for that job.”

Polka Dot Pantomines, the force behind this year’s panto, is promising it will be a “bundle of laughs” with lots of audience participation – in fact, “the most spectacular show ever staged at the Thameside”.

Cinderella runs from Friday, December 7, to Sunday, January 6, at the Thameside, in Orsett Road, Grays. Tickets are on sale now. Call the Thameside box office on 0845 3005264.

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[Leanne]

Chris is appearing as the scarecrow in the wizard of oz.



The timeless magic of Dorothy and her journey along the yellow brick road will be brought to life in pantomime at Knowsley this Christmas.

The Wizard of Oz will see stars including soap actor Chris Simmons (Eastenders and The Bill) and children’s TV favourite Lucinda Rhodes (CBBC) take to the stage at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park for an enchanting show from Saturday, December 5 to Tuesday, December 8.



Join Dorothy Gale as she befriends a brainless Scarecrow (Chris Simmons), a loveable Tin Man and the cowardly Lion on their quest to thwart the evil powers of the Wicked Witch of the West. With a little help from Glinda the Good Fairy (Lucinda Rhodes) and the almighty and powerful Wizard of Oz, good is sure to conquer evil in this delightful family fun Christmas pantomime.

Packed with great songs, brilliant dance routines and plenty of laughter for all ages, it’s going to be the best value family-friendly pantomime in town.

The production is Trio Entertainments’ latest pantomime in Knowsley, following on from the success of last year’s performance of Cinderella at Christmas and Peter Pan at Easter.

Audiences can expect a star-studded cast, which also includes Liverpool’s own musical theatre star Rebecca Cummins as Dorothy. Jay Wallace-Langan plays the Lion and Gary Amos stars as Tin Man.

Chris Simmons, who is best known for pounding the beat on ITV’s The Bill for 10 years as DC Mickey Webb will be playing the part of the Scarecrow. Chris is also known for his roles in EastEnders and in CBBC’s Tracy Beaker as Gerry.

He said: “I can’t wait to be in pantomime this Christmas. I have previously played Buttons in Cinderella and Dick Whittington and can’t wait to appear in The Wizard of Oz.”

Young audiences will also be familiar with CBBC star Lucinda Rhodes, who is best known for her roles in children’s television shows including The Floogals, Cavegirl, Dreamteam and My Parents are Aliens.

Performances are on Saturday, December 5 at 7pm and Sunday, December 6 at 1pm and 5pm, with schools performances on Monday, December 7 and Tuesday, December 8 at 10am and 1.30pm.

Tickets are priced £10 for adults, £8 for children and concessions. If you’re planning to come in a large group, you’ll get one free ticket for every 10 purchased. Book in person at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, on Longview Drive, Huyton; call 0151 443 2200 or book online at www.ticketquarter.co.uk/online/the-wizard-of-oz-2015 (booking fees may apply).

So book now and join us on a magical adventure to the Land of Oz!