The Park theatre will stage its first annual pantomime this Christmas, bringing to life the story of Sleeping Beauty with the help of a cast including Hazel, the north London venue’s resident dog.
Written by the Finsbury Park venue’s Artistic Director Jez Bond and one of Hazel’s co-stars Mark Cameron, Sleeping Beauty takes the original tale of good versus evil and transports it to the mythical land of Waa, where audiences will join a host of characters and their trusty canine companion for an evening of magic, romance and laughter for the whole family.
Joining the yappy star, who is known by her Twitter followers as @ParkTheatreDog, and the show’s co-writer Cameron are We Will Rock You’s Caroline Deverill, Craig Fletcher and Kaisa Hammarlund, both of whom have previously been seen in the West End production of Mamma Mia!, recent LAMDA graduate Matthew Cavendish and Aimee Gray, who makes her professional debut in the production alongside Hazel.
Playing from 11 December to 19 January, Sleeping Beauty sees architect David Hughes, who previously transformed the disused 1960s office block into the two-space venue it is today, return to the Park theatre in the role of set designer alongside his wife Kristina.
The festive production will see Hazel follow in the footsteps of stars including Maureen Lipman, Tim Pigott-Smith and Charity Wakefield, all of whom have made appearances at the new venue since it opened back in May.