St Helens Theatre Royal ‘Chucks’ more pantomime casting our way

St Helens youngster Jamie Leahey and his trusty side-kick puppet Chuck will join an all-star cast in his hometown’s Christmas pantomime Cinderella.

Thirteen-year-old Jamie and Chuck recently wowed the judges and audience of Britain’s Got Talent with his excellent ventriloquist act. In June, he made it to the Grand Final finishing runner-up – winning a legion of fans along the way.

The pair will appear as themselves as a speciality act in festive pantomime Cinderella from Regal Entertainments Ltd.*

Cinderella will run at St Helens Theatre Royal from Saturday 3rd December 2022 to Sunday 8th January 2023. Tickets are on sale now from £18.

As the latest addition to the all-star cast, Jamie and Chuck will star alongside fellow Britain’s Got Talent favourite comedian and musician Jon Courtenay, who was announced recently. Jon won the TV show in 2020 and will play Prince Charming’s right-hand man Dandini in the seasonal spectacular.  

More cast will be announced shortly.

Through his Britain’s Got Talent appearances, Jamie also caught the eye of the entertainment industry professionals, resulting in multiple offers from theatres across the country to appear in panto this Christmas. However, the youngster was keen to appear in his hometown this Christmas and chose the role for himself and Chuck in Cinderella at St Helens Theatre Royal.  

Jamie Leahey said: “It’s been an epic year with my best friend Chuck – and I feel excited and honoured to be back performing at St Helens Theatre Royal.”   

Teenager Jamie began entertaining people from a very young age, putting on shows for family and friends, from costumes to props. This all led to his love of television and theatre and, in particular pantomimes and variety performances. Aged six, he landed his first part as Baby Face in Bugsy Malone with RTDA Dream Academy Of Arts at St Helens Theatre Royal. He went on to appear in many more RTDA youth drama group productions including Grease, Singing In The Rain, and The Sound Of Music. In 2019, he played Oliver in Pilkington Musical Theatre Company’s production of Oliver.  

Jamie previously appeared in panto at St Helens Theatre Royal in 2016 playing Michael in Peter Pan. He went on to play John in Peter Pan at the Liverpool Empire at Christmas 2019.  

A pupil of Devine Theatre Company since January 2019, Jamie has developed his performance skills in acting, singing, and dancing. Each year, he appears in the company Variety Spectacular Show challenging himself with different characters – these have included Trigger from Only Fools And Horses to Pinocchio in Shrek, all approached with great energy and enthusiasm.  

Now after two years of hard work and dedication, Jamie has been catapulted into the spotlight as one of the UK’s newest ventriloquist acts – alongside trusty sidekick, Chuck. Together, their act combines Jamie’s new-found ventriloquism talent and his love of old-school comedy. Following their performances on Britain’s Got Talent, they amazed the panel of judges and received standing ovations at the London Palladium and Hammersmith Apollo.  

Britain’s Got Talent head judge Simon Cowell told Jamie during the live televised Grand Final: “You are really funny, so charming. If this is what you want to do as a career you have to stick to it, you have a real talent and are very likeable.”

Cinderella promises audiences a magical Christmas panto complete with Fairy Godmother, glass slippers, enchanted pumpkin, ugly sisters, and a fantastic fairytale finale. The production also features real Shetland ponies on stage.

St Helens Theatre Royal pantomimes are a highlight in the theatre’s calendar, and a real festive highlight – and the sparkling production of Cinderella will be no exception.  

Theatregoers can expect high production values, stunning and colourful costumes, breathtaking sets, and a fantastic range of chart hits to sing and dance along to – the recipe for a perfect panto.  

Theatre Manager Chantelle Nolan added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Jamie and Chuck to the cast of Cinderella for our Christmas pantomime 2022. Jamie has performed on the St Helens Theatre Royal stage before but it’ll be a brand-new experience for Chuck – and I know they’re going to have a fabulous festive time especially in their hometown.

“Jamie and Chuck join the line-up alongside Britain’s Got Talent 2020 winner Jon Courtenay as Dandini – that’s a lot of incredible talent on one stage, but we have even more to come. Watch this space as there are more exciting names to announce very soon.”  

Jon Courtenay appears in Cinderella as Dandini. Jon was awarded the Golden Buzzer by Ant and Dec, going on to become the Judges’ Choice in the semi-finals before winning the entire contest – becoming the first Golden Buzzer act to take the BGT title.  

A live performer for 20 years before his BGT triumph, his popular one-man show incorporating comedy, songs, piano, and comedy magic has continued to take him on an incredible journey. He has performed at the Royal Variety Show, and appearances include Britain’s Got Talent Christmas Special, This Morning, Lorraine, and the Michael Ball Show on BBC Radio 2. He has recently completed his first UK Tour, and is set to take his new solo play Against The Odds to the Edinburgh Fringe this Summer.

*Please note – due to Jamie’s age and licensing laws, he will appear in a limited number of performances. Visit website for full details.  

Follow St Helens Theatre Royal on social media channels:

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Twitter: @TheatreRoyalStH

Instagram: @TheatreRoyalStH

SHOW LISTING

REGAL ENTERTAINMENTS LTD PRESENTS CINDERELLA

St Helens Theatre Royal

Date: Saturday 3rd December 2022 – Sunday 8th January 2023

Time: Various times

Tickets: From £18*

*All prices are inclusive of a £1 per seat booking fee. Online bookings are subject to an additional 50p per seat online processing fee.