MP Jeremy Corbyn is set for a cameo role in a panto at the Pleasance Theatre

PARLIAMENT and panto have a lot in common, an Islington Theatre director has said, meaning a cameo from Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn made perfect sense.

The Pleasance Theatre in Caledonian Road is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a “cheeky” and “fun” pantomime that is a mash-up of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz.

Organisers searched high and low for the perfect fit for their Wizard of Ozlington, but found that the veteran MP was the ideal casting.

Ellie Simpson, head of theatre at the Pleasance, said: “We were thinking who would be amazing to star as a fun cameo. I met Jeremy at the Islington Sustainability Fair at the end of August and we got chatting.

“He was so fab and really up for it. We thought, ‘who better to have than our local MP?’

“Parliament is a bit of a pantomime, there’s cheers, booing, laughing, so it seemed perfect.”

The Pleasance Theatre wanted to kickstart the 30th anniversary celebrations with a pantomime, the first one in 20 years.

“We wanted a big fun show,” said Ms Simpson. “It felt like a really nice serendipitous moment to have such a stalwart of the local community appearing in the pantomime.”

Mr Corbyn’s fellow cast members

The show promises to be packed with pop bangers, soaring vocals, and incredible costumes, with a cast made up of “stalwarts of the drag and nightlife scene”.

Drag artist Gigi Zahir will play the wicked witch Adelphaba, with Eleanor Burke as the good witch Kelly Oz-Born, Lew Ray as Tin 2.0 and Ro Supp who plays Dorothy (Dor).

The theatre director added that the Pleasance was trying to make the shows as accessible as possible, with tickets starting at £10.

Ms Simpson told the Tribune that it was important to bring people back into the theatre after a “tough year”.

She said: “It’s not just about the entertainment, but also about the community and the joy, and shared experience of the audience. Panto is about bringing people together and this one celebrates community and courage and individuality.”

Mr Corbyn said: “The Pleasance has been at the heart of our community for 30 years, and local theatre like this deserves our support.”

He added: “Panto brings people together – it’s fun, inclusive and a brilliant celebration of creativity.

“It’s a pleasure to conjure up a little festive magic with the Pleasance in their 30th year. Local theatre is where the real wizardry happens – sparking imagination and spreading a bit of joy.”
Meanwhile, organisers added that they would be happy to conjure up an additional role for Dame Emily Thornberry MP if she “fancied a strut down the Yellow Brick Caledonian Road”.

There will be two different versions of the production, with one aimed at adults only and another for all ages, which will run on different days between November 18 and December 31.