Stoke-on-Trent’s favourite panto trio reunite for Dick Whittington at the Regent Theatre this Christmas. Local lad Jonathan Wilkes celebrates his 20th year in the venue’s festive show, this time around playing Dick Whittington alongside favourites Kai Owen (King Rat) and Christian Patterson, who returns after two years away to play Sarah the Cook. They’re joined by Gina Murray as Spirit of the Bells, Samara Casteallo as Alice Fitzwarren, and Wilkes Academy alumnus Marlee Ferguson as Kitty Cat.

This year’s panto company shed light on what’s in store for a special anniversary year...

---

Jonny, 20 years is a big milestone - how does that feel?

Jonny: It's a big thing! It's all to do with me really loving what I do, and asking these incredible performers to come and trust me, and trust this venue and have the best time. That's what I say to them all: you will have the best time. My 20th year means the world to me. I still get emotional thinking that I’ve been asked to do this for 20 years…You could get somebody else, but I tell you what, you wouldn’t get the love, care and passion I bring. 

Honestly, it feels like yesterday that I did my first one. I’ve had the best time ever. What we do really well in Britain is tradition. I think as we go through life, growing older, tradition seems to be going out a bit, but there’s one thing at Christmas: pantomime is a huge tradition in people’s lives. The audiences that keep coming every year, I’m probably now performing for people who watched me at my very first show and now have their own children. I’m incredibly passionate about it. I finish the show the year before, and I’m already on to the next. I want to know what we’re doing. When I knew it was Dick Whittington, and my 20th year, and Christian was coming back, and we’ve got Kai, and I’ve been asking Gina for years to come and do this... They’re giving us the best set we’ve ever had at the Regent Theatre - it’s going to be phenomenal. It was at the Palladium only a few years ago. It’s going to be one hell of a year. I’m more excited this year than I’ve ever been. Hold on to your seats, everybody!

 

You could perform at any theatre in England. What keeps bringing you back to Stoke?

Jonny: It’s my home - it’s the greatest theatre in the country. This is the reason why I’ve got people like Christian and Kai alongside me - it is an amazing theatre, and I’m so proud of it. You know what we’re like in Stoke; we like to do ourselves down sometimes, but this theatre is something special. It’s my second home. In fact, I think I’ve spent more time in this theatre than my actual home! I genuinely wouldn’t do it anywhere else. This is my love, my people - I’m very grateful to be welcomed back.

 

Marlee - What’s it like performing on stage at the Regent after graduating from the Wilkes Academy? And Jonny, how does it feel to see your students become professional performers?

Jonny: It’s incredible. Marlee is an incredible success story - he’s been on tour with Dreamgirls, he’s been in the West End with The Lion King. Gina’s just finished in Hairspray, where the lead lad was a Wilkes Academy student called Solomon. I went to a show the other day to see a boy called Spencer, and we’ve got Jaden, who’s in Starlight. But they’ve all been in the Stoke Regent Theatre; they’ve all been in the panto. It’s a wonderful thing that we can pass on the banner. It’s the one thing in my life that I’m very, very proud of - and long may it continue!

Marlee: When Jonny first asked me to do panto, I was such a young mind - it was the year before I left. We did Australia together as well. Him believing in me gave me a bigger push both as a person and a performer. Every moment that I have, or get invited to here, I’m just going to say “Yes!” without a doubt. It’s the most fun experience I’ve ever had - and that’s all thanks to Jonny. 

Jonny: One of our favourite times on stage is when the students do their opening number and we all rush up and see them perform - they are amazing, and they do me proud. They know how hard panto is. The best thing you can say about panto is that if you get on really well backstage, you can bring it out to the audience. Gina will tell you - she’s worked in casts sometimes where there’s a few bad eggs, and they can really bring it down. We like to think we don’t bring any bad eggs. 

 

Samara - It’s your first year at the Regent, and the first night is Friday the 13th! How are you feeling about your debut here - and are you superstitious?!

Samara: First of all, I haven't seen the Regent Theatre before, and I think it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s decorated beautifully, and I’m so excited to be working alongside these guys. I love Christmas, I love panto, and I’m so excited to start. I’m not that superstitious - if you believe in it, it comes true, so I’m going to say we’re going to switch it, and it’s going to be a Christmassy Friday the 13th! We’ll be bringing all the smiles, all the fun, all the jokes, all the laughs - let’s switch that day and make it a Christmassy fun one!

Kai: I’m petrified it’s Friday the 13th! Please don’t mention the number to me…

Jonny: He’s winding you up! You’ll get to know Kai - it takes you a good 20 years. What is true, though, is that Kai is petrified of heights - so what we’re going to do is get the highest thing we can and get him up there! Are you superstitious, Gina?

Gina: Not at all - 13 is my lucky number! 

 

Do you have any rituals backstage, or snacks that get you through?

Jonny: Normally when we come in, I go to see Kai and Christian and we have a little ‘lads together’ chat. Then we all get naked, we get in the shower together, and we have a wonderful time! 

Kai: We usually oil up Christian - he needs oiling…

Jonny: Have you seen one of those slip’n'slides?! No, what happens backstage is a lot of fun. We are like a big family, and that includes all of the crew as well. We’ve all got each other's backs. It’s the fun that we have, and the amount of sweets that we eat!

Kai: I was going to say the amount of snacks; there are tubs of sweets stage left and stage right!

Jonny: Sometimes the show gets in the way of us having fun backstage! No, I’m only joking - we take it on stage, and we have a right laugh!

 

Have you experienced any panto mishaps that really stick in your mind?

Jonny: We’ve only got 20 minutes!

Gina: My very first panto, I was in Brentford and I did the show to a family of four! They were given the option: did they want to sit there on their own, or come back in the evening with a full house? “No, we’ll sit here!” So it was all “Hello Boy and Girl! Who’d like to get up? How about... you and you?” That’s why I love panto - you cut your teeth on it; it’s where you learn your job. It’s brilliant and it works - even with four people, it works!

Jonny: One of my favourite-ever stories was when we did Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. We had a guy called Peter Burroughs, who was in a wheelchair, who played Grumpy, and we had a boy called Danny, who was Dopey, who used to push him around in the wheelchair. Hi-Ho starts, and we soon realise there’s only five on stage. Two of them were stuck in the lift! I had to go on stage and go “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve only got five dwarfs. Two are stuck in the lift - does anybody know how to work a lift?” And weirdly, there was a guy in the audience who went “Yeah, mate - I installed it!” He came backstage and fixed the lift. 

Christian: What about when we were doing Peter Pan, Jonny? We did the Mastermind sketch and you fell off a chair and ripped your trousers from… well, let’s just say from Lands End to John O’Groats… 

Jonny: It wasn’t a good look! Christian couldn't continue without laughing at me. I just went with it. We’ve got many, many, many stories. Very funny! 

 

Who’s got the best costume this year, and how often do you have to let them out - if you’re always eating sweets?

Kai: Me! Me, me. me, me. me!

Jonny: The great thing about panto is that you actually don’t put weight on! It’s great. Christian’s different…

Christian: I do. I put weight on! I see it as a challenge.

Jonny: I literally do 30,000 steps every show! I don’t stop.

Kai: I’ve got a belter of a costume this year - I had the best costume ever last year, by the way, with my smock. 

 

Christian and Kai, you're now both as loved in Stoke-on-Trent as Jonny is. What is it that keeps bringing you back to the Regent?

Christian: If that is true, that we're as loved as Johnny, then that's a massive compliment from the people of Stoke because Johnny is adored. To think that we are even in the same realm of adoration is a massive compliment for me. When I'm stood on stage with those two lads, I have the sensation of being safer than you've ever felt in your entire life. And when newbies come in - obviously Marlee’s not new; he's been with us for a while, and he's the most sensational dancer - we just think “Amazing, fresh people to play with!” 

Kai: I can only agree with what Christian’s said. They’ve really welcomed me with open arms. Christian and Jonny brought me into the panto team nine years ago, and I've known them for years. Christian’s one of my best mates. I've known Christian for 20-odd years, and Jonny for about 15 years. From day one I have felt the love of this building, and this town, and this city, and the people of this theatre.

 

What is it about this audience that's so special?

Christian: They’re the absolute best. The audience are on your side; they want it to be a good night. They’re the best audiences ever!

Jonny: Pantomime is sometimes the first time a young child ever comes into this theatre. It's our responsibility to make them believe what theatre’s about - it's magic; it's a magical place. I say to the cast every single year: “Go and make that child believe you, make them want to be a part of you.” Make them want to believe in the fairy godmother, fall in love with Alice, be a part of Tommy the Cat, love Sarah the Cook, be scared of King Rat… My job is to be their best mate. If they can walk away going “I loved that,” that's the next generation of theatregoers. That's keeping theatre alive.

Christian: As we always say, Jonny, the panto starts as soon as they walk through the theatre door. The most important thing is that the very first thing they're met with is smiling staff - half of our job is done then.

Jonny: It's not just about us - it's about the front-of-house team. They have to make that family feel special. 

Kai: You can sense the atmosphere coming onto this stage. It feels like a big, warm hug from the crowd. You feel instantly safe, because you're on stage with your mates and people who know what they're doing; at the top of their game. Then you feel the energy coming straight off them - it’s like a big hug. I've never experienced it anywhere else. I've done plenty of theatre before, but this place is special. 

Gina: I'm a newbie, and Samara is a newbie to Stoke, but the theatre’s reputation goes before it. You've got Johnny, Kai and Christian as well. I've known about the panto here for many years. I've wanted to work alongside these guys for a long time, and I've known Johnny a long time too. That just tells you a lot about your audiences and about how special the place is, because it can attract people like Samara and myself and the next generation. That's a compliment to your great place. 

 

Why is it important for you to promote relaxed performances?

Kai: It’s grown massively. 

Jonny: The very first year, we did it to about 250 people. Last year we did it to over a thousand. It was incredible. It's one of our favourite days in the theatre. Christian absolutely loves it. 

Christian: It’s my absolute favourite day! I love coming on, having a chat with the audience and making sure everyone’s okay; making sure that they know they can go in, go out, do whatever they need, watch it through an iPad, watch it through a phone. Anything they need, we can facilitate. Theatre's got to be fully inclusive, and I'm very proud of our reputation for doing it in the region.

Gina: I think It's also really important for the carers. There are few opportunities for those people - whether they be parents or guardians or NHS workers - to get time to enjoy a performance with somebody who's perhaps not normally included. To be free to enjoy it in whatever way they want to is really special for us up on stage, as the performers. 

---

Dick Whittington shows at Stoke's Regent Theatre from Friday 13 December to Sunday 5 January

on Thu, 24 Oct 2024