Theatre and dance

Anne Charleston will be appearing as the Empress of China in Aladdin at The Hexagon
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Neighbours' Madge coming to Hexagon panto

By Phil Creighton
May 31, 2011

When Justin Fletcher – aka Mr Tumble – returns to Reading for the pantomime Aladdin, he knows that he’s got a good neighbour waiting in the wings.

The Bafta-winning CBeebies legend is being joined by actor Anne Charleston, best-known as Madge Bishop in the long-running Aussie soap Neighbours.

Anne’s character in the soap was married to Harold Bishop and was the mother of Charlene – played by a young Kylie Minogue.

After leaving the soap in 2001, she moved to this side of the globe and has had a role as the sister of Edna Birch in the ITV soap Emmerdale. She has also been touring in the popular stage show Calendar Girls as well as making guest appearances on a range of TV programmes.

Now, this Christmas she will be treading The Hexagon’s boards as the Empress of China for Reading’s festive show – and the panto’s producers can’t wait.

Imagine Theatre’s Steve Boden, who will direct the show, says: “We are delighted that Anne is coming to join in the panto fun with us this year. She is incredibly well-known for her roles in Neighbours and, more recently, Emmerdale, but has also appeared in panto for many years and is a seasoned panto performer.”

And Steve’s not joking when he mentions her panto skills. She has appeared in a range of leading roles, including Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Jack and The Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

The Hexagon’s theatre manager Sarah Cox adds: “Anne will be a super addition to this year’s panto cast and we are really looking forward to welcoming her to Reading.

“Ticket sales are already breaking records and we are sure that this announcement will boost reservations further.”

And it’s not just good neighbour Justin that Anne will be making good friends with during the show: Imagine Theatre is looking out for youngsters to join the chorus line. Children aged between eight and 16 on Sunday, July 3 – the day of the audition – are eligible to enter.

Imagine Theatre is looking for three teams of babes plus reserves to take part in the show, which runs from December 10 to January 18.

The auditions take place at Reading Town Hall in Blagrave Street from 9.30am. No booking is necessary and children taking part need to wear comfortable clothing and dancing shoes. They will also need to bring a drink (not fizzy).

Successful auditionees will be called back in the afternoon with the decision made that day.

For more details on these auditions, log on to www.imaginetheatre.co.uk

Tickets for the pantomime are already on sale. Seats for the opening weekend are £13, all other tickets are £17 and discounts are available for youth and school groups plus groups of more than 10. For more details, call (0118) 960 6060 or visit www.readingarts.com

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This is great news for Reading. We need more famous people to live in Reading so we can get a posh nightclub and hang with the celebs. I will be going for sure and yes, I believe she is single for all the lads out there.