Swansea Grand panto this year is fast approaching (oh yes it is) and with a star studded cast, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is almost ready to take the stage from Wednesday 14th December. We know that because we went along to meet the cast during rehearsals, which they assured us are going really well.

Strictly glitter-ball winner and Casualty Favourite JOE MCFADDEN and Swansea’s own West End leading lady HAYLEY GALLIVAN will join the panto favourites KEV JOHNS, MATT EDWARDS and STEFAN PEJIC, in this year’s spectacular production.

Joe is best known for his portrayal of trauma surgeon Raf DiLucca in BBC hospital drama Casualty and as twinkle-toed winner of the glitter-ball trophy on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. Amongst many his extensive TV credits include Heartbeat, Cranford, The Crow Road, Sex Chips and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Judge John Deed.

Joe is no stranger to the stage having appeared in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Rent, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and many more including most recent The Mirror Crack’d.  He has played in pantomime across the UK for also appearing in the Old Vic’s Aladdin with Sir Ian Mckellan.

So, grab yourself a glass of mulled wine (or something non alcoholic kiddies), a slice of yuletide log, and take a look at our Meet The Cast Special.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST -MEET THE CAST SPECIAL

Welsh Musical Theatre singer of the Year (2005) Hayley will join Joe on stage in the title role of Belle. The West End leading lady has appeared in shows including Oliver, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ragtime, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Grease, Spring Awakening and as standby Elphaba in Wicked.

Swansea born and bred Hayley is a big fan of panto and tells us her love of theatre and performance came from as a child watching the pantomime at Swansea Grand.

“I love being in Swansea it’s my home, so to be back here at Christmas, doing what I love with such an amazing cast is going to be really special”

This year marks a new partnership between Imagine Pantomimes and the Swansea Grand Theatre who will be bringing a brand-new production which, alongside all your favourite panto ingredients, will include spectacular LED screens and animation. Swansea Grand Theatre Manager Grant McFarlane says of the show………

“What a Christmas cracker of a cast. This year’s panto is going to be a fabulous festive treat with its dynamic digital effects, animation and oodles of fun and frivolity. Don’t have a beastly Christmas; book your tickets today.”

Grand Theatre Swansea

Beauty and the Beast will be sure to make you laugh, cry and fall in love with a host of hilarious and hairy characters; so, book your tickets now and discover if Beauty can see beyond appearances and learn to love a beast! When we say laugh, there be plenty of those with Kev and Matt.

Kev has recently returned from Snowdonia in North Wales after filming an episode of the very popular US TV show Documentary Now which is also to be seen on Amazon TV here in the UK. His extensive theatre credits include: Amazing Grace, Toshack or Me, Dr and the Devils, Under Milk Wood, Return Journey, The Odd Couple, Piaf, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It and Taffy Shakespeare.

He also played Henry Roberts in the Mal Pope musical Calon Lan and appeared in the National Theatre Wales production of The Passion directed by Michael Sheen. He also appeared in the film The Gospel of Us and the BAFTA Award winning Jack to a King. Kev is also a popular compere and has introduced shows for Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson, Hayley Westenra, Paul Potts, Peter Karrie and Rhydian.

Kev is delighted to return to Swansea Grand theatre for this year’s Imagine Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast and told us…..

“I am so excited to be returning to the fantastic Swansea Grand for panto this year. The Grand is such a wonderful theatre with a great staff and the best audiences in Panto land. Beauty and the Beast is a great panto with something for all the family and a new panto for me! I’m so looking forward to working with Matt Edwards who is one of the funniest people I know. Matt is a wonderful entertainer and a great friend. See you all in panto at the Swansea Grand!”

STEFAN PEJIC completes the cast for this family, fun-filled panto. A comedian, magician, theatrical magic consultant and director and an award-winning comedy writer & producer. As a collaborator of comedy for BBC Wales, an additional comedy writer for Comedy Central, C4 & BBC is a well-known to Swansea audiences. His TV roles include Casualty, Sherlock & Doctors; Spikey in the HTV soap Nuts & Bolts; Tate in the Zombie Horror thriller The Resort on Netflix; Simonda in Grim A Tale Of Death; Tyler In Internal Bleeding; Dan in So What’s Next; Owen in Everyone Loves A Welsh Girl and Simon in the BAFTA award winning Compassionate. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST gets to the Swansea Grand Theatre from Wednesday 14th December through to Sunday 15th January 2023. Tickets are on sale now starting at £23, for more details go HERE.

Take a look back at last year’s Panto in our review HERE.