Our Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomimes have become a Christmas staple for many families. A breathtaking mix of audience participation and corny gags, with a jukebox full of rock anthems and chart-topping hits, all performed live on stage by our ultra-talented cast of actor-musicians. There is something for everyone to enjoy.
We caught up with Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto royalty, Kenny Davies (Alderman Fitzwarren) and Simon Nock (Sarah The Cook), to discuss their favourite panto memories.
Written by Kelly Scotney and Carla Klein
Kenny knew he wanted to be an actor from a very early age when his grandmother bought him a plastic guitar that he ‘played’ for family and friends. A pupil at Intake High School, he performed in most school plays and swapped his plastic guitar for a real one, also learning to play the keyboard and drums. He went on to study at Rose Bruford College, London, from where he graduated with a BA Hons Degree in Actor Musicianship. With stage and TV credits to his name, Kenny is best known in his home city for appearing in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime at The Varieties.
Simon has been a professional actor for over 25 years with credits ranging from Black Mirror and Fresh Meat to numerous Shakespeare productions with Guildford Shakespeare Company. His journey into acting started from a young age; first taking part in school plays and amateur dramatics before attending Manchester Youth Theatre. From there, Simon attended Mountview to study Acting and Musical Theatre which led to him gaining his Equity card, an agent and a successful career in the industry. After more than 10 years of performing in pantos, Simon returns to The Varieties for the fifth time as Leeds’s favourite Dame.
Q: What keeps you coming back [to The Varieties] for more Rock ‘n’ Roll panto?
Kenny: Apart from Yorkshire being the best county in the UK(!), one of the main reasons I keep coming back is because Leeds is my hometown and I feel that I have a connection with The Varieties. I have been performing in shows at the world-famous venue since my first Youth Theatre appearance back in 2000. It’s a tradition now; when I think of Christmas, I think of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto!
Simon: The Varieties is an amazing theatre because it has all that history. To stand on that stage knowing that 100 years earlier there were some of the biggest stars in Music Hall in Britain is an amazing thing and I’m always aware of it. Also, the fact that it’s bang in the centre of a major city is great.
The cast of Red Riding Hood in 2019. Credit Ant Robling.
The cast of Beauty and the Beast in 2021. Credit Ant Robling.
Q: What are some of your favourite panto memories?
Kenny: I have fond memories of all the pantos but one moment that stands out for me was the well scene in Cinderella. There was a moment when I had to fall down a well and climb back to the top and repeat this routine several times. In this performance, I fell down the well and climbed up with no problem, only to find the next time I looked down the well, my wig flew off my head. Luckily, I managed to catch it and throw it back on only to find I had it back to front. The audience found this very amusing, and some asked me later if it was choreographed as it was so slick.
Q: What do you love about panto?
Simon: I absolutely love the technique of it; it all came from watching these huge stars when I was little do these amazing things. I saw Cinderella at the London Palladium when I was 16 or 17 and there was a very famous actress from the 40s called Dame Anna Neagle playing the Fairy Godmother. They wheeled her on. She was in her 90s and they created this amazing chariot for her that looked like she was sitting on a throne with teams of half-naked men pushing her on. It was amazing to watch. It would be like watching Dame Judi Dench now playing the fairy in panto!
Q: Why do you prefer Rock ‘n’ Roll panto to a traditional panto?
Kenny: The reason I love to perform in Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantos over traditional ones is that you get two shows in one – as well as the acting and dancing, you also have the live music aspect. The thrill of being an actor-musician in a show like this is being able to play multiple instruments on stage in front of a live audience – I think this truly improves the connection with the audience; it’s organic.
Simon: You’re working with very talented people – there will be a mix of experience and age, but because of the versatility of people and how hard you must work, you get a very united cast. There’s such a high level of energy onstage because of having to play the instruments, and that liveliness creates such an incredible buzz because it’s sort of part concert and part panto. No one ever comes away from these pantos thinking “that was alright”; it has such a massive shift for you emotionally because of the live sound.
Q: Have you had any costume/wig mishaps?
Simon: I once had to wear a tight corset with a metal piece around it, and the gag was that it wouldn’t fit round me so it would just keep pinging off. But, one time, it pinged off, hit the proscenium arch, and came back and smacked me in the face! I carried on the scene with blood dripping down my face. When I got off, stage management were there with cotton wool because it nearly knocked me out. So, it can be quite dangerous as well but you just go for it and whatever happens, happens!
Kenny: Due to the nature of the part I play, there are lots of times when I must fall over, walk into a wall, get bashed on the head etc. During Robin Hood (2015) there was one scene where I got hit with a mallet – due to a spacing issue, instead of the mallet missing my head, it connected with my face and bust my lip!
Kenny Davies and Simon Nock in Beauty and the Beast (2021). Credit Ant Robling.
Q: What has been your favourite part to play? And favourite song to sing?
Kenny: I’ve enjoyed every part I’ve played over the years, but I feel like Buttons has the edge. I’ve played Buttons twice (2012 and 2018), but both times have felt completely different because I’ve worked with a different cast each time. As for my favourite song, I loved singing I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) in Robin Hood.
Q: What’s been your favourite Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto?
Simon: I always look back at Jack and the Beanstalk as being my favourite because it was the first time, I got to do the Dame. It’s also one where the Dame is very integral to the plot because she’s Jack’s mother; she’s not shoehorned into an existing story.
Following the success of previous titles, including Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella, Leeds’s favourite panto will return to The Varieties for the festive period.
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