Tag: Lisa George

Posted on

REVIEW: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, until January 4 2026 ***

Brandon Nicholson’s Harmony Hard-Up, left, and Luke Attwood’s Melody Harmony Hard-Up, the outre Ugly Sisters in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York. All pictures: Charlie Kirkpatrick Photography

THIS is the closest to a blue pantomime that York has ventured in 36 years of reviewing, and not because of the winter chill or the rising waters on the Ouse.

“Having a ball” in Cinderella takes on a whole new meaning in 2019 Great British Awards Best Script winner Jon Monie’s frankly fruity panto frolics, led by the thoroughly naughty Ugly Sisters of Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson’s Melody and Harmony Hard-Up.

You might say they struck a false note,  but there appeared to be plenty who favoured rudery over prudery, just as writer Monie and director Ellis Kerkhoven favoured slap-and-tickle over slapstick, a staple panto ingredient noticeably absent from Cinderella beyond the obligatory, well-worn ghost bench scene.

Lisa George’s Fairy Godmother and Rachel Grundy’s Cinderella on song in Cinderella

Monie is on the money in keeping the already familiar storytelling to the fore, allied to set-piece routines and the rather more cuddly comedy of actor, comedy performer and host Jimmy Bryant’s lovelorn Buttons, although even he takes a shine to a double entendre ou deux.

Bryant  does, however, have a rather lovely moment in conversation with a trio of shy/not-so-shy children picked from the audience for the Songsheet (Walking On Sunshine), a panto tradition lost from the Theatre Royal show.

Former Coronation Street star Lisa George swaps “loud, gobby” Beth Sutherland for the lighter beams of the beatific Fairy Godmother, up for a laugh and a song or two; Karl Moffatt’s Baron Hard-Up is a thoroughly good egg who stays out of the limelight –and sensibly out the way of monstrous Melody and Harmony – while Leeds lad Bradley Judge’s Dandini stays on the straight and narrow in his character-swapping double act with Mamma Mia I Have A Dream winner Tobias Turley’s Prince Charming.

Bradley Judge’s Dandini, left, and Tobias Turley’s Prince Charming larking around in Cinderella

Turley’s dandy royal handles the nudge-nudge, wink-wink stuff with aplomb and a knowing look, while keeping such boisterous boys-will-be-boys banter out of the hearing of West End musical actress Rachel Grundy’s rather more demure golden gal of a Cinderella. They both show off knockout singing chops, whether solo or in duet, but songs are often kept strangely short, even shorter than Strictly Come Dancing competitors’ routines.

This diminishes the impact of, for example, Golden, the KPop Demon Hunters hit that seemingly no panto can leave out this winter. The 2025 tick list also includes 6/7, Traitors (and Faithfuls), and Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club (re-booted as Pink Palace Club), and all are ticked off here, along with a profusion of bottom burps, especially in the aforementioned ghost-bench shuffling.  

White ponies, rather than pink, make an appearance, spoiler alert, at the climax to kitchen skivvy Cinderella’s transformation scene, orchestrated with a magician’s flourish by George’s Fairy Godmother: the show’s height of spectacle.

Jimmy Bryant’s Buttons with ensemble members Yasmin Riley, Maisie Marsh, Bill Evans, Matt Saunders, Joe Nolan and Nicole Jackson

York references are used sparingly; Popworld pops up, so too Bettys, and not one, but two digs at York City when, ironically, the Minstermen are only a point off the top of the National League.

Towering over this Cinderella are Attwood’s Melody (“it’s pronounced m’Lady”, she doth protest too much) and Nicholson’s Harmony in the West End “drag superstars” seventh year of Ugly Sister tongue-in-cheekery, in the manner of Julian Clary’s fabulously suggestive turn in the London Palladium pantomime or indeed Simon Knock’s dame in the Leeds City Varieties rock’n’roll pantos. 

Saucier than a French kitchen, smuttier than soot, they exploit every chance to be rude, crude and lewd, while never resorting to language as colourful as their utterly fabulous costumes (designed and constructed by the duo in tandem with Morgan Fergusson).

Rachel Grundy’s Cinderella transforms into Princess Crystal

Their “need to be skinny for when we meet the Prince” was a line delivered in the cause of a sight gag where they shrink to puppet size in a sweltering sauna, but it might be rephrased at a time when body dysmorphia among the young is a troubling concern.

Overall, these outre girls just wanna have fun, like a York hen party, and if you enjoy boisterous badinage with all the subtlety of Mercutio’s scatalogical teasing of the Nurse in Macbeth, then Melody and Harmony will be comedy music to your eyes. If not, and you would prefer them to clean up their act, then you will have a bawl  rather than a ball here.

Rob Bannon leads his band in brisk fashion, matched by Xena Gusthart’s happy and hearty choreography for principals, ensemble and  Dance Expression School of Dance juniors alike. Set design is never the strongest point of UK Productions’ York pantos, lacking local detail, but there is gold dust to the walkdown finale as each character throws a glittering flurry of ticker tape over themselves on entry: Kerkhoven’s most original directorial flourish. The gold after all that blue.

UK Productions present Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, until January 4 2026. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Posted on

‘I love playing Fairy,’ says Lisa George on leaving Coronation Street after 13 years to return to theatre. Next wave of wand, Cinderella at Grand Opera House

Wanderful: Lisa George’s Fairy Godmother in UK Productions’ Cinderella at Grand Opera House, York

AFTER 13 years as “loud, gobby, feisty” Beth Sutherland in Coronation Street, Lisa George decided to leave soapland’s cobbles to tread the boards once more.

A decision she made in 2024, when her final episode aired last August, that now brings her to York to play Fairy Godmother at the Grand Opera House  in UK Productions’ Cinderella from December 6 to January 4 2026.

“The decision had been bubbling away because of my visual impairment,” says Lisa, who has the rare eye condition of NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy), one that causes sudden and painless vision loss in up to 11 per cent of people.

“I first lost vision in the bottom half of my right eye [when Lisa had been hit in the eye by a rope] and then had a second occurrence in 2022 [in her left eye] and was formally diagnosed in 2023 after a year of searching for what was wrong.”

As chance would have it, when she partnered with Tom Naylor in Dancing On Ice in 2020, it turned out he was the son of Gerard Taylor, an eye specialist she had consulted in 2017.

“I don’t think people realise I have this eye condition because I don’t make a song and dance about it,” says Lisa George

For Lisa, who also had been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2016, matters came to a head when she was watching a production of Romeo And Juliet at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester last year.

“In a black-out during the performance, I suddenly thought about not being able to see,” she recalls. “I’d earned my stripes, I’d worked on Coronation Street for 13 years, and I thought, ‘if I’m going to go blind, I need to do theatre again now. I don’t just want to be known for Beth [Sutherland] . I’m going to play other roles before anything might happen to stop me’.

“The condition is stable; I can see, but I was petrified I would never work in theatre again after I was diagnosed, but I was also aware that I’d be able to have people hold my hand, or show the way with torches. There’s far more help nowadays.”

Cinderella is her second pantomime since leaving Coronation Street. “I don’t think people realise I have this eye condition because I don’t make a song and dance about it – though my script is massive!” she says.

Working with director Ellis Kerkhoven and choreographer Xena Gusthart for the first time, Lisa is “absolutely delighted to be appearing as Fairy Godmother at the Grand Opera House”. “Panto is such a special time of year, and I can’t wait to see families and friends come together to share in the magic over the festive season,” she says.

Lisa George in the poster for her role as Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, when she was announced as the first signing for the Grand Opera House pantomime for 2025-2026

As ever with commercial panto, rehearsals crack on apace. “We had ‘blocked’ the whole of the show by day three, and we’d had costume fittings, dance rehearsals and vocal rehearsals on top of that,” says Lisa.

“The very first pantomime I did we had only a week’s rehearsals. That one was with Jimmy Cricket, Linda Nolan, a young Suranne Jones and Paul Crone, ‘the roving reporter’ from Granada TV.  That was at the Tameside Hippodrome [in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester], a  theatre that doesn’t exit anymore.  I was Dandini, the old-fashioned thigh-slapping Dandini in fishnet tights.

“We’re getting pushed out now, with the Prince Charming and Dandini roles going to men, on top of men already playing the dame. What’s left for the women?

“Dandini wasn’t my favourite role, to be fair. I have more fun as the fairy. I love playing Fairy, whether Petunia Pumpkin in Cinderella or Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington, both at the Oldham Coliseum, or Fairy Godmother last year at the Wyvern Theatre, in Swindon, or now Fairy Godmother in York, where it’s my first time working with UK Productions.”

“I’ve brought my steamer, my big straw, my Vitamin C tablets – and I’ll try to get plenty of sleep too,” says Lisa George of her routine for the pantomime season ahead

Producer Martin Dodd enthuses: “We are thrilled to welcome Lisa to the cast of Cinderella. She brings a huge amount of talent, warmth and star power to the stage, and we know that the audience will fall in love with her Fairy Godmother.”

Performing in pantomime, with the challenge of cold weather, loud audiences and multiple shows, is arguably theatre’s most demanding season, requiring care of body and voice. “It’s a tough call doing panto,” says Lisa. “I’ve got a nebuliser that someone told me to get last year, where you put on a mask to hydrate your throat.

“Then there’s a wide straw, a singing tube, that you blow bubbles with to help the voice. Opera singers use it. I learned about that last year as well, so I’ve brought my steamer, my straw, my Vitamin C tablets – and I’ll try to get plenty of sleep too.”

“Absolutely buzzing” about singing two key numbers in Cinderella, one in the transformation scene, the other in Act Two, Lisa is looking forward to her York debut. “Of all the tours I’ve done, I don’t think I’ve done York before,” she says. “It’s been brilliant; it’s a really lovely cast , everyone’s so talented. We’ve bonded already; everyone is just dead nice and supportive.”

UK Productions presents Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, December 6 to January 4 2026. For tickets, go to atgtickets.com/york.

Actress Lisa George

Lisa George on her years of treading Coronation Street cobbles, 1997 to 2024

“I left in July 2024, and my last scene on screen was on August 24, after 13 years of playing [former model] Beth Sutherland, married to Kirk Sutherland [in 2015]. She was loud, she was gobby, she was feisty; a very proper lioness, protecting her son, loyal – and I think she was really funny too.

“She was a loudmouth, a hybrid of Ivy Tilsley and Janice Battersby, and I loved playing her. Those 13 years just flew by.

“I’d done Coronation Street before, playing three guest roles, and originally I was asked to do episodes as Beth. But then the producer asked me back for a trial six months, then for afull year that turned into three years, then another three years, and so on and son on! Because they didn’t have someone gobby in the factory anymore, that’s why they kept her.

“I first played a nurse in 1997 in a scene with Martin Platt, Gail’s husband. Then I was a family liaison officer for five episodes when Katy Harris, played by Lucy-Jo Hudson, killed her dad with a wrench.

“I filmed my part as a police officer when Ashley and Claire Peacock’s son was kidnapped, but those scenes were never shown after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann [in May 2007].”

Lisa George in her latest role as Fairy Godmother in UK Productions’ Cinderella at Grand Opera House, York, from December 6 to January 4 2026

Lisa George: back story

BORN on October 15 1970 in Grimsby.

Best known for playing factory worker and former model Beth Sutherland in Coronation Street from 2011 to 2024.

In 2020, Lisa skated her way to fifth place, partnering Tom Naylor, on Dancing On Ice; in 2022, she  appeared as Cabaret’s Sally Bowles in ITV’s All Star Musicals; in 2022 and 2023, she performed with fellow Corrie cast members on Britain Get Singing.

Lisa read theatre studies at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, where she won singing scholarship for three years running.

Since graduating in 1995, her credits include UK tour of Prisoner Cell Block H – The Musical, touring with Lily Savage; Dusty Springfield tribute show I Only Want To Be With You; Cinderella, with Jimmy Cricket;  Daydream Believer, for M6 Theatre Company, and Life On Mars, at Riverside Studios, London.

Further shows were: The Queens Of Country, playing Tammy Wynette;  One For The Road, playing Pauline Cain for The Torch Theatre, and producing, directing and appearing in An Evening with Kander and Ebb. Also undertook six-month run in UK tour of musical comedy Girls Night in 2010.

In pantomime, Lisa has appeared as Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington (Oldham Coliseum), Petunia Pumpkin in Cinderella (Oldham Coliseum) and Dandini in Cinderella (Tameside Hippodrome).

Television roles include: Emmerdale; Casualty; Holby City; City Central; Cops; Roger Roger; My Summer With Des; Coronation Street (see above); Oliver’s Travels; Manhunt; Children’s Ward and Holding The Baby.

Commercials include: Ebay, Learn Direct, KFC, Claims Direct and White Lightening Cider. The “controversial singing KFC commercial” has become infamous for receiving the most ever complaints. Radio: The Handmaiden’s Tale, BBC Radio 4, and Pick Ups.

Lisa appeared alongside Michelle Collins in BAFTA-nominated television adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s The Illustrated Mum, playing the role of Miss Hill.

Lisa recorded backing vocals with The Stranglers on their 1998 album Coup de Grace (Eagle Records). From 2001, she toured with 13-piece soul band The Rumble Band for four years before jumping ship to join the mighty rocking big band orchestra, The Cat Pack, recording It Ain’t What You Do, an album of jazz, jump blues, rock’n’roll and swing classics and originals in 2006. Also performed with Sheffield jump jive band The Big Heat for two years.

After supporting Little Richard and Chuck Berry with The Cat Pack in 2005, Lisa was asked to record her solo album, The Devil Said Shake, for Raucous Records as Lisa George and The Pedalos.

Lisa appeared as a guest singer in Rave On, the Buddy Holly show;  travelled the country as support act to Peter Grant and toured as backing vocalist for Joe Longthorne on his 2007/2008  You And Me tour and 2009 40th Celebration Tour.

Posted on

Who will be having a ball in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House? Meet the panto cast

Cinderella cast members Luke Attwood, Brandon Nicholson, Lisa George, Tobias Turley, Rachel Grundy and Jimmy Bryant

THE Grand Opera House pantomime cast has assembled for the first time in York to give a flavour of what lies in store in Cinderella this winter.

In attendance for the UK Productions press day were Rachel Grundy (Cinderella); Tobias Turley (Prince Charming); Lisa George (Fairy Godmother); Jimmy Bryant (Buttons); Yorkshireman Bradley Judge (Dandini), and Ugly Sisters double act Luke Attwood (Harmony Hard-Up) and Brandon Nicholson (Melody Hard-Up).

“I was here at the Grand Opera House in The Rocky Horror Show, though I’ve never been in York at Christmas, which I’m looking forward to,” says West End musical actress Rachel Grundy, who has appeared in such shows as Legally Blonde and Starlight Express.

“The first time I worked with UK Productions was the Legally Blonde UK tour. I’ve done pantomimes at Bath Theatre Royal, Blackpool Grand Theatre, New Brighton, Bournemouth and Basingstoke, where I did Cinderella.”

Tobias Turley, who came to fame on ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream, has appeared on the York stage previously in the Strictly Come Dancing Tour. “My first job out of drama school [at Doreen Bird College] was in Sleeping Beauty at Mansfield, but I haven’t come back to pantomime since then until now. That was four years ago,” he says.

“I’ve been very lucky working in theatre since being on telly, playing one of the Jets, Diesel, in West Side Story, appearing in Heathers and Mamma Mia! The Musical, then White Rose at the Marylebone Theatre and Hot Mess in the Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Fringe, which will be going in to the Southwark  Playhouse Elephant for three weeks.”

Traditionally, Cinderella and Prince Charming are this pantomime’s straight roles. “You need that to keep the story flowing, with the story arc being continued throughout,” says Rachel. “You need those strong pillars.”

New addition: Leeds lad Bradley Judge, confirmed for Dandini role in Cinderella

Tobias adds; “The first time I did panto, I was thinking ‘I’m not getting laughs’, but you need both types in panto. They’re the fluff and we’re the plot – and what wonderful fluff they are!”

Neither Rachel or Toby will be heading home for Christmas Day. “My brother lives near Huddersfield,” she says. “I’ll be staying with a good friend of mine,” he says.

Coronation Street star Lisa George, whose sister lives in a village on the outskirts of York, is no stranger to pantomime, especially Cinderella. “This will be my fourth Cinderella,” she says. “I played Dandini with Jimmy Cricket, Suranne Jones and Linda Nolan at Tameside Hippodrome in 1997; Petunia Pumpkin [the Fairy Godmother role] at Oldham Coliseum in 2013; Fairy Godmother in Swindon, at the Wyvern Theatre, last Christmas, and now York.

“I’ve played Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington too. I love playing fairy! She’s just a lovely character and she’s ageless – though one day I’d love to see her in a pinny and rubber gloves!”

Actor and comedy performer Jimmy Bryant will be working in York for the first time. “Buttons is especially there for the children, as he’s the closest to them in his character,” he says. “Part of his role is to be their voice on stage; he does the most direct speaking to the audience. He’ll be their best friend.”

Buttons will be a contrasting role to his pantomime appearance last winter. “I usually play the funny chap who’s there to have loads of laughs and bring the audience with me, but last year I was the villain – a very stupid villain – at the Cheltenham Everyman, where I was Herr Kutte, a German villain, which was really fun to do as they wanted someone who wasn’t too scary.”

Bradley Judge, from Leeds, has appeared previously in pantoland in Aladdin in New Brighton and Jack And The Beanstalk in Mansfield and has done musicals aplenty since studying musical theatre at Guildford School of Acting. “The last big show I was in was Sister Act, which came to the Leeds Grand,” he says.  

Lisa George: Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother

“For playing Dandini, I’ve not got the whole script yet, but from what I’ve seen he’s got a little comedy in his role, with a bit of a cheeky wit about him.”

West End drag double act and real-life partners Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson will bring Harmony and Melody to Cinderella in their York debut. “This is our seventh year together in pantomime,” says Luke. “I used to be a dancer in pantomime for many years. One year I auditioned for Ugly Sister at Wimborne, on  my own to be paired with someone else, and then Brandon auditioned to be Dandini…

…”I didn’t want to wear women’s clothing!” interjects Brandon. “Then the director, Lee Redwood, said Brandon had auditioned for Dandini, and he suggested we should work together as Ugly Sisters,” says Luke.

“Since then we’ve built up a full set of costumes, stored in Brandon’s old bedroom at his mum and dad’s house.”

After playing such Strictly Come Dancing–rooted double acts as Tess and Claudia and Shirley and Darcey, Luke and Brandon will be adding Harmony and Melody Hard-Up to their repertoire. “It’s our first time with UK Productions,” says Brandon. “We saw their Cinderella in Blackpool and thought, ‘we want to be in that’!

“Anthony Williams [UK Productions’ executive pantomime director] came to see us in pantomime in Blackpool, and now we’re doing Cinderella in York. It’s the number one-selling pantomime, so it’s great to be in it this winter.”

UK Productions presents Cinderella at Grand Opera House, York, from December 6 to January 4 2026. Box office:  atgtickets.com/york.

Cinderella stars Tobias Turley and Rachel Grundy

Posted on

West End stars Tobias Turley and Rachel Grundy to join Cinderella panto cast at Grand Opera House from December 6

Meet Prince Charming and Cinderella, Tobias Turley and Rachel Grundy, in UK Productions’ Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York

WEST End performers Tobias Turley and Rachel Grundy are joining the pantomime cast for Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York, from December 6 to January 4 2026.

Turley, breakout star of ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream, will play Prince Charming, opposite musical theatre actress Grundy as Cinderella in the UK Productions show.

Somerset-born Turley rose to fame as the winner of the 2023 series, captivating audiences with his commanding vocal performances. Since then, he has lit up stages in Mamma Mia! The Musical, Heathers The Musical, Hot Mess and West Side Story.

This winter he will bring his velvet voice and romantic flair to a festive performance that “promises to sweep audiences off their feet”. “I’m really looking forward to stepping into the role of Prince Charming in York this Christmas,” says Tobias. “It’s a fantastic story, and I can’t wait to be part of the fun and festive magic of panto season.”

Grundy’s musical theatre credits span the West End and major UK tours. Known for her vocal power and stage charm, she has played Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Brooke in Legally Blonde: The Musical, and Dinah in Starlight Express.

Her Cinderella will bring a mix of modern sparkle and heartfelt storytelling to the classic fairytale heroine. “I’m over the moon to be playing Cinderella in York this Christmas!” says Rachel. “Panto season is always such a magical time, and it’s a dream come true to don the glass slippers in such a stunning city. I’ll be sweeping from the Shambles to the stage – and I can’t wait to bring some sparkle to the beautiful Grand Opera House!”

Josh Brown, venue director for the Grand Opera House York, says: “Tobias and Rachel come with strong West End credentials and will be a huge hit in York. We’re thrilled to welcome such exceptional talent to the Grand Opera House stage in what will be another hugely popular, show-stopping panto from UK Productions.”

Taking on the role of the Fairy Godmother will be musical theatre performer, singer and Coronation Street alumna Lisa George, who played Beth Tinker on the Weatherfield cobbles for a decade.

Jimmy Bryant’s Buttons, Lisa George’s Fairy Godmother and Luke Attwood’s Harmony Hard Up and Brandon Nicholson’s Melody Hard Up in Cinderella

Casting spells, commanding laughs and guiding the heroine on her journey to the ball, she will be equal parts maternal, magical and mischievous in a performance of grace, gusto and glitter.

Comedy performer Jimmy Bryant will bring buckets of warmth, cheek and infectious energy to Buttons. Stealing scenes (and shoes) will be the Ugly Sisters, played with outrageous flair, sky-high heels and industrial-strength hairspray by West End drag stars Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson.

Here comes a “double dose of diva energy, armed with cutting one-liners, scandalous shade and a wardrobe so fierce it should come with flashing lights and a fire hazard warning”.

They promise to wreak havoc with style and to sabotage the slipper with flair, delivering their Harmony and Melody Hard Up double act with “costume changes quicker than a royal scandal, insults wrapped in rhinestones and comedic timing so sharp it could slice through a pumpkin carriage”.

“Cinderella and Prince Charming better watch their backs,” warn Attwood and Nicholson. “Because this year, it’s not about finding the shoe, it’s about stealing the spotlight. We’ve got the looks, the legs and the lungs to belt a ballad from Bootham to Blackpool. York, darling, prepare yourselves…the real stars of the ball have arrived!”

At the heart of Cinderella will be a new script by Jon Monie, winner of Best Script at the Great British Pantomime Awards, whose writing combines snappy dialogue and set-pieces with nods to pantomime traditions, contemporary wit and magical storytelling.

Martin Dodd, of UK Productions, enthuses: “This year’s Cinderella is supercharged with energy, glamour and world-class talent. With stars of the West End and screen lighting up the stage, this production is bursting with magic, music and mayhem. From jaw-dropping vocals to laugh-out-loud comedy, it’s pantomime at its absolute finest, unmissable, unforgettable and undeniably spectacular!”

“Tickets are flying faster than Cinderella’s coach at midnight; don’t be the one left holding a pumpkin,” says Ryan Harper, head of marketing and communications. “Book now, or risk missing the most magical, side-splitting, show-stopping event in York this Christmas!”

For tickets, go to: atgtickets.com/york.

Posted on

Buttons up for laughs at Grand Opera House as Jimmy Bryant confirmed for Cinderella from December 6 to January 4

Jimmy Bryant: Second signing for Grand Opera House pantomime Cinderella

FROM immersive Peaky Blinders to pantomime pratfalls in York, Jimmy Bryant will be shining as Buttons in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House this winter.

He joins Coronation Street star Lisa George’s Fairy Godmother in the UK Productions cast, bringing his mischief, warmth and comic instincts for the unexpected to his kind-hearted role.

Actor, comic performer and host Jimmy – or James Bryant as his Peaky Blinders: The Rise profile called him when he played Al Capone – has appeared as Herr Kutte in Jack And The Beanstalk (Cheltenham Playhouse); Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Cockpit Theatre); Cockfosters (Southwark Playhouse); the British tour of In The Dead Of The Night  and Dr Who: Time Fracture (BBC/Immersive Everywhere).

Ever the opportunist happy to do “some very odd work”, he has performed with the Australian electronic band Pendulum on tour and even served as a fake vicar at a real wedding: testament to his gift for live performance and irreverent humour.

Bryant also played Donnie in The Immersive Wolf Of Wall Street (Stratton Oakmont Productions) and his film credits include Morris in Pinky! (ESA Films) and Robbed The The Movie, written and directed by Bryant himself.

Lisa George: On wand-waving duty as Fairy Godmother in Cinderella

“Previously I’ve been Velcro and Zips, so now I’m absolutely buzzing to be playing Buttons in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York,” says Jimmy. “Expect belly laughs, bad jokes (all mine), and a lot of unrequited love for Cinders.

“Tickets are selling faster than I can zip up my tunic, so what are you waiting for? Grab yours now before they come undone faster than a dodgy popper in a quick change.” 

As with 2024-2025’s Beauty And The Beast, Cinderella will be written by Great British Pantomime Awards Best Script winner Jon Monie, winner, promising comic invention, fast-paced dialogue and affectionate nods to classic panto traditions, from slapstick set-pieces to heart-tugging moments of magic and the transformation scene.

Jimmy Bryant: Actor, comic performer and immersive theatre enthusiast

UK Productions’ pantomimes are marked byWest End-quality visual and musical spectacle, utilising “glittering costumes, high-energy dance routines, intricate lighting design and jaw-dropping stage effects designed to dazzle children and adults alike”.

UK Productions’ producer Martin Dodd says: “We are absolutely delighted to be bringing Cinderella to York this Christmas. At UK Productions, we take pride in staging pantomimes that combine traditional storytelling with top-tier production values, and this year’s show will be one of our most magical yet.

“Jimmy Bryant is a brilliant comic talent with an extraordinary rapport with audiences. He brings warmth, mischief and a huge heart to the role of Buttons. Alongside a first-class creative team and Jon Monie’s award-winning script, Cinderella will be a spectacular, heartfelt and hilarious show that families will talk about long after the curtain comes down.”

Grand Opera House venue director Josh Brown says: “We can’t wait to welcome Jimmy to the Grand Opera House with guaranteed fun in the role of Buttons. It will be another hugely popular musical panto, and we’re looking forward to seeing you all at the ball.” 

Cinderella runs at Grand Opera House, York, from December 6 to January 4 2026. Box office: atgtickets.com/york. Early booking is advised. 



Previously he’s been Velcro and Zips, so now he’s looking forward to the challenge of Buttons!

Posted on

Coronation Street soap star Lisa George to sprinkle fairy magic over Cinderella pantomime at Grand Opera House

Lisa George: From Coronation Street to the Grand Opera House pantomime with the wave of the Fairy Godmother’s wand

CORONATION Street soap actress Lisa George is the first star to be announced for this winter’s Grand Opera House pantomime in York.

From December 6 to January 4 2025, she will swap Weatherfield for the Fairy Godmother’s glittering wings and wand  to “cast enchantment over audiences in this spellbinding tale of love, laughter and letting your sparkle shine as Christmas, dreams really do come true”.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be appearing as Fairy Godmother at the Grand Opera House, York,” says Lisa. “Panto is such a special time of year, and I can’t wait to see families and friends come together to share in the magic over the festive season.” 

Known to millions as Corrie’s Beth Sutherland, Lisa is a powerhouse performer with serious theatre chops too. A graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in Cardiff, she has toured nationally in musicals, tribute shows and pantomimes, showcased her vocals on All Star Musicals and skated on Dancing On Ice, finishing fifth in 2020 when partnering Tom Naylor.

A true all-rounder, Lisa is a gifted vocalist and seasoned live performer, who has toured the UK with musical tributes and soul and swing bands, even supporting rock’n’roll legends Little Richard and Chuck Berry.

Under the moniker Lisa George And The Pedalos, she released the rockabilly album The Devil Said Shake, showcasing her powerhouse vocals and retro flair. Her deep love for live performance has seen her take on everything from musical comedy and straight drama to radio plays and pantomimes, bringing heart, humour and authenticity to every role she has played.

Lisa George: First star name to be confirmed for Cinderella at the Grand Opera House, York

From soul bands to Shakespeare, she has done it all, and now Lisa is ready to light up the Grand Opera House in a UK Productions show scripted by Jon Monie, winner of Best Script at the Great British Pantomime Awards. Here comes comedy, festive cheer, dazzling costumes and miniature ponies.

UK Productions producer Martin Dodd says: “We are thrilled to welcome Lisa George to the cast of Cinderella in York. Lisa brings a huge amount of talent, warmth and star power to the stage, and we know that the audience will fall in love with her Fairy Godmother.

“We’re also delighted to return to the Grand Opera House with another spectacular musical pantomime created by an incredible team of writers, directors, designers and performers. York truly embraces the magic of our panto, and we can’t wait to share this year’s sparkling production with everyone.”

Laura McMillan, the Grand Opera House’s theatre director, says: “We can’t wait to welcome Lisa to the Grand Opera House in what will be another spectacular, magical, musical panto. The audience are in for another treat this year as we bring York the iconic panto title Cinderella, a show that will be enjoyed by the whole family. This is the most fun you can have with one pumpkin, two ponies and a whole lot of fairy dust!”

Watch this space for news of further casting for UK Productions’ fourth pantomime at the Grand Opera House.

Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, December 6 to January 4 2026. For tickets, go to: atgtickets.com/york