Gary: Tank Commander will be entertaining the troops at Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre this festive season as he joins the cast of this year’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty, Aberdeen Performing Arts has announced.
Gary joins panto Dame extraordinaire Alan McHugh as Nurse Nellie Macduff, comic actor and River City Star Paul J Corrigan as Slimeball and Aberdeen’s own Danielle Jam who returns this year as The Spirit of Pantomime.
Aberdeen Performing Arts Director of Programming and Creative Projects, Ben Torrie said: “We are pure buzzing to say Hiya to Gary and give him a huge HMT welcome this festive season alongside our beloved Dame, Alan McHugh, our favourite cheeky chappie PJ Corrigan and the fabulous Danielle Jam. There is nowhere more magical than His Majesty’s Theatre in panto season and we can’t wait to see what this amazing cast have in store!”
Sleeping Beauty is staged by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, led by Michael Harrison and the creative team behind last year’s production of The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan.
Michael Harrison said: “We’re announcing a stellar comedy line-up for our HMT Aberdeen panto today, guaranteed to provide laughs for all the family. Gary: Tank Commander will bring his own trademark comic talent to the panto, alongside the faces Aberdeen audiences love so much, including Alan McHugh, Paul J Corrigan and Danielle Jam.”
Gary: Tank Commander is the Scottish Bafta award-winning creation of actor and writer Greg McHugh. He is known to many as 'Howard' the dressing robed, socially awkward oddball in the hit Channel 4 series 'Fresh Meat' and most recently as 'Eddie', in BBC One's ground breaking show about Autism- 'The A Word'. Greg wrote and starred in three series of 'Gary: Tank Commander' for the BBC. Greg's other numerous TV credits include: multi award winning BBC Film 'Marvellous', Channel 4's 'Dates', and 'A Discovery of Witches' for Sky One.
The production will also see the return of much-loved comic duo Alan McHugh and Paul J Corrigan.
Sleeping Beauty will be casting its spell over His Majesty’s Theatre from December 2, 2023 until January 7, 2024. Once upon a time in the far-off fairy-tale land of Aberdonia, Princess Aurora is given a twenty-first birthday present by her evil aunt Carabosse. By pricking her finger on an enchanted spinning wheel she is placed under a cruel curse and forced to sleep until woken by true love’s kiss. Can true love win the day, and her dashing Prince break the spell? All will be revealed in this spectacular panto packed with magic, music, comedy and special effects.
Tickets for Sleeping Beauty are on sale now, available from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com, phone (01224) 641122 or visit the box office at His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall or the Lemon Tree.