BBC’s Call the Midwife star Laura Main is set to sprinkle some festive magic to this year’s pantomime spectacular, Sleeping Beauty, as the spellbinding Fairy Snowfall. Best known for her long-running role as Shelagh Turner in BBC’s Call the Midwife, Laura has also starred in The Mill, Murder City, Father Brown, as well as performing right here at Sunderland Empire in 2018 as Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical.
Laura will be joined by Channel 5 Milkshake! presenter, David Ribi, who will be the dashing Prince Vincent. David is no stranger to musical theatre either. You may have seen him on stage in the 2016 UK Tour of Mamma Mia as Sky/Ensemble, Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show 2014/15 European Tour, or playing Sketch/Link in the Hairspray 2014 UK Tour, with many more stage credits to his name.
Joining them as the delightfully wicked villain, Carabosse, is West End Star Jordan Lee Davies, who is currently touring the UK as Mary Sunshine in Chicago, and has previously starred in The Book of Mormon, Bat Out Of Hell, and more!
Musical theatre star Evelyn Hoskin is the beautiful and cursed Princess Rose. Evelyn has previously visited Sunderland Empire in the role of Dawn in the UK Tour of Waitress. She is also no stranger to pantomime, with lead roles including Wendy in Peter Pan (Milton Keynes), Cinderella in Cinderella (Sheffield Lyceum) and Jill in Jack & the Beanstalk (Catford Broadway).
Local star Peter Peverley will star as the King. Peter is no stranger to pantomimes, having starred in Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Peter Pan and more! This year, Peter played Henry Millar in the musical Calamity Jane and has previously been to Sunderland Empire as Charlie Thompson in The Sunderland Story!
Laura, David, Jordan, Evelyn and Peter join Wearside panto favourites, the fabulous Miss Rory (Boulevard) as Rorina the Cleaner and hilarious funny man Tom Whalley as the side-splitting Vesta the Jester in the North East’s canniest panto!
