Ding Dong merrily on high, Christmas is well and truly happening at the Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple.
The show will open on Monday 21st December and run until New Year’s Eve. With hilarious comedy routines and show-stopping numbers, this star-filled spectacular promises to be a festive delight for the whole family.
Gareth shot to fame and to the nations hearts when he became runner up in the original series of ITV’s Pop Idol in 2002. Proving to be a firm favourite with the public, Gareth’s career has gone from strength to strength notching up 3.5 million record sales making him one of the UK’s biggest selling artists of that decade. As well as being a multi-platinum recording artist, Gareth has established himself as one of the UK’s top theatre performers. He has headlined multiple West End shows including playing Enjolras in Les Miserables and the title role in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat to critical acclaim.
Joining Gareth in the show is another multi-platinum selling recording artist Nicki French. Nicki’s cover of Total Eclipse of The Heart has sold 5 million copies and topped the charts across the globe. She is also known to legions of loyal fans as the UK’s Eurovision entry in the year 2000. Nicki is no stranger to Queen’s Theatre audiences after proving to be a huge hit in the 2017 pantomime Beauty and the Beast, where she terrorised audiences as the evil Witch Vin Rouge. “I am delighted and honoured to have been invited back to beautiful Barney for this special variety Christmas Cracker. I have very happy memories of my previous Christmas season at the Queen’s Theatre as it was the very first time I got to fly on stage. I’m glad that I will get to show the town I am not really evil and I’m hoping for the first time in a long while I don’t get booed”.
Joining Gareth and Nicki in the show will be the hilarious father and son duo Simmons and Simmons. The comedy double act are highly sought after over the Christmas period as they are two of the UK’s leading pantomime performers, having previously starred alongside Brian Conley, Ken Dodd, Neil Morrissey and Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson to name just a few. Between them they have appeared in 70 different pantomime productions and are thrilled to be making their Queen’s Theatre debut in Gareth’s Christmas Cracker. The show will also contain one or two surprises including the breathtaking aerial acrobatics of international circus performer Naomi Scott and a very special guest appearance from Santa Claus.
Theatre operator’s Selladoor Worldwide have gone to great lengths to ensure that the theatre is a Covid-safe environment for patrons to sit back, relax and enjoy a Christmas treat to end the year with a bang!
David Hutchinson, Chief Executive of Selladoor Worldwide, met with Selaine Saxby MP for Devon last week to announce the reopening of the North Devon theatres this Christmas.
David said “Selladoor are once again opening the doors of The Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple and The Landmark in Ilfracombe to ensure these communities continue to have access to live theatre. Our festive entertainment will be provided within a safe, socially distanced environment and we can’t wait to welcome our audiences back through the doors. We are working hard to bring more shows to our 2020 winter and 2021 spring season so watch this space for more coming soon.”