Panto Stars Join in Festival Parade for Launch

The stars of this year’s Swan Theatre Pantomime brought the ‘festive’ to the Festival over the Bank Holiday weekend as they took to Worcester’s High street to launch this year’s brand new family pantomime, Maid Marian and the Merry Men.

As part of the final weekend of the Worcester Festival 2018, the Maid Marian cast joined The Amabassadors Showband Derby for a colourful parade through Worcester’s High Street, stopping outside the Guildhall to entertain the gathered crowds with dancing and selfie-taking.

The cast includes Geneviève Lowe, who stars as this year’s leading lady Maid Marian, Tom Riddell, who plays a daydreamer Robin Hood, ‘Best Baddie’ winning Liz Grand as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, and John-Robert Partridge as the Swan Theatre panto’s infamous Dame Ginny.

John-Robert Partridge has previously starred as dame for award-winning Stratford-based theatre company, Tread the Boards, and appeared as Dr Watson in the Worcester Repertory Company’s smash hit summer production of The Hound of the Baskervilles in the Commandery gardens. Liz Grand will also be well-known to Worcester audiences, having appeared in every Swan Theatre pantomime since 2005, and last year winning the Break A Leg Critics’ Choice Pantomime Award for Best Baddie for her performance as Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty at the Swan Theatre.

Maid Marian and the Merry Men is a brand new pantomime from the Worcester Repertory Company, and Swan Theatre audiences can expect a spectacular, action-packed show.

Worcester Rep Artistic Director Chris Jaeger said: “This year’s panto will be just as magical as ever, with stunning costumes, spectacular song and dance numbers, and all of the traditional panto treats, but it will also be a little different. There’s no damsel in distress waiting for a knight in shining armour this year. It turns out Robin Hood is a lover, not a fighter, so it’s all about our strong, determined and valiant Maid Marian, who is out to lead the Merry Men to overthrow the evil (also female) Sheriff of Nottingham, and prove that ‘this girl can’. It’s really exciting to be turning some of the usual stereotypes on their heads this year. We can’t wait for December!”

Tickets are already on sale for the production, which runs from 3rd December through to the 6th January 2019 at the Swan Theatre, Worcester. For further details contact 01905 611427 or visit wwwworcesterlive.co.uk