Panto season in the West End will see Sir Ian McKellen star in Mother Goose which is scheduled to play a limited season at the Duke of York’s Theatre following its nationwide tour. Mother Goose will open at the Duke of York’s Theatre on December 15th and play until January 29th, 2023.
Sir Ian McKellen is a six-time Olivier winning actor and will take the role of Mother Goose in the production. The actor's last pouting in the West End came in 2019 with his one-man show which showcased at the Harold Pinter Theatre. McKellen also starred in a production of Aladdin at the Old Vic in 2004 and 2005.
Other notable members of the panto cast include Mel Giedroyc and comedian John Bishop who will take the roles of the Goose and Vic Goose respectively. The rest of the company features Karen Mavundukure as Good Fairy Encanta, Simbi Akande as Jill, Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Jack, and Sharon Ballard as Evil Fairy Malignia. Genevieve Nicole, Adam Brown, Gabriel Fleary, and Richard Leeming also star.
Mother Goose is written by Jonathan Harvey, and Cal McCrystal directs the production which also features sound design by Ben Harrison, choreography by Lizzi Gee, set and costume design by Liz Ascroft, and lighting design by Prema Mehta.
Mother Goose will kick off a UK tour at the Theatre Royal Brighton which will include the West End season. The production will also play at Chichester, Cardiff, Sheffield, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Oxford, and Dublin.
Mother Goose is a pantomime that tells the tale of a goose who miraculously lays golden eggs. The story dates all the way back to ancient Greek legend and it was first performed as a panto on stage in the UK at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1902.
Mother Goose will open at the Duke of York’s Theatre on December 15th, 2022 and is just one of many options for lastminute shows in London this Christmas.