Expect third degree for Potteries panto
Sheila Ferguson, lead singer with iconic girl group The Three Degrees for two decades, joins the cast of Dick Whittington at the Hanley venue this Christmas.
Sheila, who has no less than 17 chart hits to her name, will play the part of Fairy Oatcakes in the show which, as usual, has a distinctly Stoke-on-Trent flavour.
Also back at The Regent by popular demand is Christian Patterson, who last year played an evil henchman to the wicked queen in Snow White, but this time takes on the role of another dame – Sarah the Cook. Also on the bill are TV actress and model Amy Diamond as Dick Whittington's love interest Alice, and West End star Steven Serlin as King Rat.
Completing the cast will be the winner/winners of this year's Stoke's Top Talent competition on September 12.
Producer Kevin Wood, of First Family Entertainment, is promising a script tailored exclusively for Potteries audiences.
He said: "I thought there was no point doing a panto in Stoke which has Jonny Wilkes becoming the Lord Mayor of London. Instead, we've taken what is a great adventure story with a perfect role for Jonny, and written it very much for the Potteries.
"The script is still being finalised, but our hero will probably hail from Cheshire and will be trying to make his way to Longton where the streets are paved with gold. His journey will involved a canal barge, a sudden storm and a fight for the hand of the potbank owner's daughter."
This will be Jonny's fifth year running in panto at The Regent after record-breaking stints with Mother Goose, Aladdin, Cinderella and Snow White.
He said: "The Regent is my second home and I love coming back to Stoke-on-Trent.
"But I never take for granted being able to perform in my home town to such passionate audiences, and I will be giving 100 per cent to bring something new and fresh to every performance.
"It's great to have Sheila, Amy and Steven on board, and Christian has already established himself as a huge favourite with panto audiences.
"It's going to be another wonderful show for the whole family."
Dick Whittington runs at The Regent from Thursday, December 10, to Sunday, January 10.
For ticket information, call the box office on 0844 871 7649.
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