�There are lots of things that make a panto a magical experience, but for Cut to the Chase actor Simon Jessop the most important thing is the dame.
He said: “I love playing the dame because it is lots of fun and as a dame you get to really build up a good relationship with the audience.”
Simon has played it three times at the Queen’s. Only two other people in the theatre’s history have played the part more – John Halstead nine times from 1979 and Chris MacDonnell six times from 1998.
Simon said: “As a dame you have got to appeal to the adults and the kids, some dames just put all their emphasis on the adults and they ignore the kids.
“But you have got to have sympathy for the dame and see her as a motherly figure so that you want to follow her on the journey.”
He added: “The panto is always lots of fun at the Queen’s. We have a loyal audience and we know them really well so we know what works.”
Jack And The Beanstalk, at the theatre from Saturday December 1 to January 12.
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