Rachel Stanley has been our Wicked Queen opposite Kirsty Ingram as Snow White in this year’s Mayflower panto in Southampton.
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00:00 Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers, and it's
00:06 fabulous to be speaking to, well they hardly need an introduction do they really? Snow
00:11 White and the Wicked Queen from the panto coming up in Mayfair in Southampton this Christmas.
00:17 Now, Rachel, yeah, you must be looking forward to this, you're looking absolutely the part.
00:22 Oh, I love it. As soon as I get into costume, I'm there, you know, I can't wait.
00:29 You're terrorising her already.
00:31 Yeah.
00:32 But why do you want to be the baddie then?
00:35 So much more, yes, sorry Kirsty, but you do have more fun. You do, because I have, like
00:41 I said, I've played Cinderella before, and it's wonderful to be lovely, you know, and
00:46 everyone loves, you know, Snow White and Cinderella, but oh my God, I just love playing the villain.
00:51 You just, it's just great being wicked.
00:53 Kirsty, Kirsty would disagree.
00:55 It's far away from my own character.
00:57 Because Kirsty, this is your third successive year in this role.
01:02 It is, it is indeed, and I absolutely love it. And I have all the fun too.
01:08 Why do you love being the baddie? Why do you love being the goodie?
01:15 Because everybody loves the goodie. Nobody loves the baddie.
01:19 I like that.
01:20 Yeah, controversial.
01:23 Yeah, she's fantastic to play. I love playing Snow White. Third year.
01:27 Third year.
01:29 This is what you've got to come.
01:31 Yeah, this is what I've got to come apparently.
01:33 In future.
01:34 We'll see, we'll see.
01:35 You're convinced that she'll turn to the bad eventually then.
01:39 Definitely turn to the bad, sorry.
01:41 Not so sure, not so sure.
01:43 You hold out for the good. But third successive year as Snow White, do you approach it differently
01:48 each year, or is it just different because it's a slightly different cast and a different place?
01:52 Yeah, it's always different every year. Different cast, different creatives as well.
01:57 So everyone's going to be bringing different things to the production.
02:00 So I'm really excited to see what this year is going to bring.
02:04 And it's always a different script, you see. We'd never get the same script each year.
02:09 It's always a different set of music. It's always different.
02:12 Yeah. So although I obviously sing the classic Disney songs, we will have pop songs thrown in there too.
02:20 So they always change for Snow White and Slytherin.
02:23 That sounds fantastic. And Rachel, it's one of the year's great puzzles, isn't it?
02:27 Panto every year. What on earth is it? Why is it happening? Why do we all adore it?
02:33 It's because the whole family can enjoy it.
02:36 It's something for everyone from grandparents down to tiny tots.
02:40 There's something in it for everyone. They can muck in.
02:43 And it brings everyone together, I think.
02:45 I think we need that half the time after what is going on in the news, you know, after Covid.
02:50 I think people love it. Everyone being brought together to enjoy, you know, one thing, one great show.
02:58 That is pantomime. Yeah.
03:00 And Kirsty, sharing the stage with Christopher Biggins, that must be quite good fun.
03:05 Yeah, I'm very, very excited. I haven't actually met Christopher Biggins yet, so I will meet him today.
03:11 I'm really, really excited to work with him. I've heard wonderful things.
03:15 Brace yourself. He's fabulous. He's fabulous.
03:20 He is. He's great fun to speak to. You'll have a blast.
03:23 So will we when we come and see the Panto at the Mayflight this Christmas.
03:27 Really lovely to speak to you both. Thank you so much for your time.
03:30 And looking forward to the show. Thank you.
03:34 Thank you. Thanks.