Guildford Fringe announces live online performances and cast for its summer adult panto

Guildford Fringe has announced live online performances and casting for Pinocchio Gets Wood the (late) Summer Adult Panto.

The adult panto will entertain audiences direct on their sofas from 10 – 12 September 2020 having originally been scheduled to play at The Back Room of the Star Inn.

The cast will still perform there live each night and it will be streamed so people can safely watch at home.

Tickets are available online here priced at £14. Performances will be held Thursday 10 – Saturday 12 September 2020 at 8PM.

As well as announcing the live online shows, the cast has been confirmed: Daniel Page (Billy Elliot The Musical, The Producers, Priscilla Queen of the Desert) plays Dame Ciabatta, Tamsin Lynes (​Aladdin ​(UK Tour), ​Much Ado About Nothing ​(The Cockpit)) plays Pinocchio, Rachel Warrick-Clarke (Jack and the Beanstalk) plays Juliet and Andrew Franklin (making his professional debut) plays the evil baddy.

All ticket holders will be sent a questionnaire, so that some of their answers can be included in the show. Although there will not be two-way audience and cast communication during the show, it will feel interactive with the cast encouraging the audience to shout at their TV screen in true panto style!

Pinocchio Gets Wood has the same creative team which brought last year’s Sinders the Adult Panto to the stage, with production and direction by Nick Wyschna and Charlotte Bateup, script by James Chalmers and songs by Nick Wyschna, Charlotte Bateup and James Chalmers.

Managing Director Nick Wyschna said: “Well, who’d have thought we’d be doing one of our popular adult panto’s in this way?! This is going to be so different from what we are all used to, but it is going to be equally brilliant and hilarious. The cast is just incredible, each of the performers blew us away during our online auditions.

“This is not a Zoom show where we’ll all be jumping from one bad WiFi connection to the next. It is a full-out piece of naughty, musical, silly and smutty theatre with the wonderful songs and dances that our audiences are used to.

“Those who book for the show will be sent a short questionnaire so we can include some of their answers in the show, keeping it interactive and very much in the adult panto theme!”