If we have missed any from the list that are appearing near you, do let us know and leave a comment below. Actors are listed in alphabetical order by first name. With thanks to It's Behind You for the information.
Current cast members
Marc Baylis (Rob Donovan) in Cinderella at Theatre Royal, St. Helens
Ex-cast members
Bradley Walsh (Danny Baldwin) in Cinderella at Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham
Bruce Jones (Les Battersby) in Snow White at Northwhich Memorial Court
Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow) in Aladdin at Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Eric Potts (Diggory Compton) in Dick Whittington at The Empire Theatre, Liverpool
Fine Time Fontayne (Peter Barlow’s cellmate Clelland) in Mother Goose at Coliseum Theatre, Oldham
Vicky Entwistle (Janice Battersby) in Sleeping Beauty at Floral Pavilion, New Brighton
Nicholas Cochrane (Andy McDonald) in Beauty and the Beast at The Deco, Northampton
Nigel Havers (Lewis Archer) in Jack and the Beanstalk at Bath Theatre Royal
Sally Lindsay (Shelley Unwin) in Dick Whittington at The Empire Theatre, Liverpool
Scott Wright (Sam the Stripper) in Aladdin at Southport Theatre
Sherrie Hewson (Maureen Holdsworth) in Snow White at De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Wendi Peters (Cilla Battersby-Brown) in Sleeping Beauty at Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage
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13 comments:
Terrence Maynard would be awesome as the Genie! Are you going?
Oh yes, we always go to the panto! Seeing him in it will be great too.
Have they changed the rules? Or are these two current characters leaving? I was told they are not allowed to do panto while in Corrie. Maybe it depends who you are?
I wonder if he will be leaving, BBHilda? And Marc Baylis only coming back for a short time?
Yes, you have to leave.
Too bad the actor must leave. I know Tony did the dirty on Liz with Tracey but I am starting to warm up to him again. I think he is an excellent actor and it's a shame he is leaving. Perhaps he'll come back in a new light. One can live in hope. I would love to see him behind the bar!
AS someone from outside the UK, I'm afraid I don't get the significance of Panto. It seems like it would be a step down for a serious actor, no? Or is it an admired tradition of the stage to participate? Can anyone enlighten me, please?
It's good money.
it's really good money - when the actor who played Lewis Archer left Corrie St. it was reported that he made more money doing panto than his stint on the street and I guess for the actors it is probably a lot more fun than doing the same thing week in, week out.
Corrie's bad money unless you are a long-serving actor and panto is great money.
There are two types of contract for Corrie stars; those on the 'permanent staff', who certainly can't do panto, and those who play occasional or recurring characters, who are free to do whatever they want between being called in again. Some occasional characters (Audrey for example) graduate to full cast members. I worked with Milton Johns (Brendan SCott) years ago, who was an occasional character, and he told me he was losing work because of it since casting directors assumed he would be unavailable because of his Coronation Street commitments and wouldn't bother calling him about castings that were ideal for him. The truth of the matter was he was doing two or three stints a year on the cobbles, for just two or three weeks, and twiddling his thumbs the rest of the time. So he had a word with the PTB and that is why Brendan Scott was made permanent cast for 6 months (when he bought the corner shop) then killed off. It was an arrangement Milton thought was idea for his needs, but as his time drew to a close, realised he wanted nothing more than to stay on. Brian Mosley told him he was sure a reprieve would come down from Upstairs, that they'd never kill of such a great character, but the juggernaut rolled on regardless.
Very true - so long as you're a headliner. It's shocking what some of the lesser cast and dancers get paid.
There are several attractions - aside from the money. First, it's genuinely a huge amount of fun. Second, it's a very old British tradition and there's a sense of being part of that heritage. Don't forget, Sir Ian McKellan said he only had two ambitions left - to appear in Corrie and to play a panto dame (both of which he achieved). There is a skill in turning in a great panto performance that a lot of 'serious' actors lack - they are the ones who sneer it's beneath them (and yet, not beneath McKellan!) when in fact, it's often more a case that they're afraid to take the risk. And let's not forget that these are the sort of actors who would see appearing in Corrie as a come-down too! (They're a small minority, thankfully, as most actors leap at the chance).
Then there are some TV 'Names' who undertake panto and are pretty dreadful (but at least they tried!); it's not uncommon to find the poorly paid non-names, who have the skills to have the audience in the palm of their hands, carrying the star.
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