Scarsbrick's Oak Theatre unveils cast for it's first ever Christmas pantomime

Christmas comes to the Scarsbrick’s Oak Theatre next month and the cast for it’s first ever pantomime has been unveiled.

Coronation Street star Calum Lill plays the evil Fleshcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk which runs at the theatre at Scarisbrick Hall near Ormskirk from Saturday 13 – Wednesday 24 December.

Tickets are on sale now priced from £14.

The lavish panto is presented by Anton Benson Productions Ltd.

Calum, who played the Street’s bad boy Joel Deering, will be joined on the Oak Theatre stage by legendary pantomime dame David Dale who appears as Dame Trott, real-life couple Danny Childs and Suzanne Fulton as Jack Trott and Princess Jill, Mary Shanker as Mary the Fairy and Michael Lawless as King Bling.

When Jack Trott swaps the family cow for a bag of beans, his mum isn’t best pleased. But when the beans sprout…and keep growing, they lead to the tallest of adventures in the clouds.

Can Jack outwit the wily Fleshcreep and rescue his sweetheart Princess Jill from the clutches of the giant? Or will he fee-fi-fo fumble his chance to be a hero? There’s only one way to find out.

Audiences can expect two-and-a-half hours of toe-tapping song and dance, colourful costumes, fantastic sets – encompassing the venue’s 4k digital wall, and stunning special effects all wrapped up in a hilarious laugh-a-minute script.

Calum Lill is best known for playing Coronation Street villain Joel Deering who met a sticky end at the heart of a dramatic whodunit which kept soap viewers on the edge of their seats. His other screen credits include PC Carlton Smith in Hollyoaks and roles in Doctors and Holby City. His stage credits include The Sociable Plover at London’s Old Red Lion. And he returns to the role of Fleshcreep after playing him last Christmas in Bournemouth.

Meanwhile when he is not causing drama on screen, he loves bringing stories to life on stage and helping other actors through his coaching company Screen Ready.

David Dale plays Dame Trott and also directs. Panto royalty David has worked with all the major pantomime production companies and has appeared in more than 25 seasonal shows as well as directing six pantos. His highlights include pantomimes at the London Palladium and Birmingham Hippodrome among many other leading venues. In 2024 he was nominated for a prestigious UK Pantomime Award alongside fellow ‘Ugly Sister’ James Holmes for their double act in Cinderella at the Buxton Opera House.

His other stage credits over a four-decade career include The Rocky Horror Show and Women Behind Bars in the West End. His screen credits include EastEnders, Father Ted (playing a nun) and The Sins.

Danny Childs is Jack Trott. ALRA North-trained Danny is an actor and filmmaker. Previous panto appearances include Wishee Washee in Aladdin, Potty Pierre in Beauty and the Beast and Simple Simon in Jack and the Beanstalk, Buttons in Cinderella and Rafi in Rapunzel. Further stage credits include The Wish, That Sketch Show, Farmboy, The Snow Queen, and Ugly Duckling for Tutti Frutti Productions in the UK and on a US tour. Away from the stage he is co-owner of independent filmmakers Squad Four Productions.

Suzanne Fulton plays Princess Jill and is also the show’s choreographer. Suzanne is a Mancunian actress, choreographer and producer who trained at the Bristol Old Vic and Manchester School of Acting. Her previous panto appearances include the Fairy in Sleeping Beauty alongside Vicki Michelle, and Aladdin. Other stage credits include Silent Cicada at Liverpool Playhouse, The Wish and The Yellow Dress. Suzanne also has her own company, Parallel Productions, championing women’s voices from the north and whose productions have included Parallel Lives at the Oldham Coliseum. She recently starred in her first full-length feature film, Derelict.

Mary the Fairy is played by Mary Shanker. The Manchester-born actor, musician and singer-songwriter trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), and her panto credits include Cinderella last Christmas with Katie Price and Kerry Katona, Beauty and the Beast alongside Les Dennis and Jack and the Beanstalk. Her other stage credits include A Christmas Carol and Simon Says, the latter produced by the All Day Breakfast Theatre Company of which Mary is a founding member.

And Michael Lawless appears as King Bling. Actor, singer and writer Michael, who trained at The Expressive Arts and Media Academy in Liverpool, returns to Jack and the Beanstalk after appearing in the tall tale in Dublin last Christmas. Further stage credits include The Insufferable Loneliness of Jeremy and Scuttlers, both at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.

The Oak Theatre is a stunning new state-of-the-art 390-seat venue situated in the sweeping grounds of the award-winning Scarisbrick Hall School.

It champions bold storytelling and boundary-pushing performances, bringing together visionary creatives and engaged audiences to shape the future of live entertainment.

The theatre has partnered with veteran panto producer Anton Benson Productions to present its first professional pantomime on the stage. ABP produces successful Christmas pantomimes for five other venues across the North West in addition to providing Easter pantos for more than 15 venues across the UK each spring.

The company has worked with many big-name stars including Les Dennis, John Thomson, Kerry Katona, Mark Labbett, Su Pollard and Basil Brush.

Oak Theatre general manager Tom Cain said:

“Excitement is really building here at the Oak Theatre with just a month to go before we welcome the first audiences to our first spectacular pantomime. Seeing our fabulous, talented cast in full costume has really got us in the Christmas spirit, and I can’t wait for opening night – I know theatregoers of all ages are going to be in for a real treat.”