Berwick, Martin, Suzy, AJ and David ready for madcap panto

Former York Theatre Royal performers Berwick Kaler, David Leonard, Martin Barrass, Suzy Cooper and AJ Powell were all set to move across town to the GOH in 2020 before lockdown closed down the theatre.

Last year the show, Dick Turpin Rides Again, got underway as planned but, after the emergence of Omicron, audiences had to wear masks throughout the show and some couldn't make it to the theatre.

Then Berwick and his sidekick Martin got the little red line on their LFTs showing they had Covid and had to miss the final week of the run - even though neither of them even felt poorly.

"It was very strange indeed," he said. "We're used to carrying on in the panto no matter what, even if you'd got flu, but with Covid we couldn't go near the place even though we felt fine."

Suzy Cooper and AJ Powell, ready for a madcap panto at the Grand Opera House (Image: David Harrison)

He said last year's mask-wearing had induced its own humour for the audience, with Berwick reading out a birthday greeting for a young boy and then asking: "Is your mum here?.'

"The boy pulled off his mum's mask, as if to check, and said: "Yes, she is!"

Martin said he was looking forward to a pandemic-free panto with carefree, bumper audiences packing the opera house in Cumberland Street, which only recently reopened after a major refurbishment, including the dressing rooms.

"It's had a beautiful refurbishment," he said. "The auditorium looks great. They took every single seat and cleaned it."

Martin said his panto stint came after he had won a part playing Mick in BBC Radio Four drama, The Archers, earlier this year.

"They said Mick was a Jack the lad, a womaniser and liked to be at the centre of every joke," he said. "I said: 'How am I going to play that? I'll have to go back ton drama school."

David Leonard, ready for madcap panto at York's Grand Opera House Picture: David Harrison (Image: David Harrison)

Meanwhile, Berwick - Britain's longest-running panto dame - who has starred in pantomime in York for more than 40 years, said: "I can’t wait to welcome Me Babbies and Bairns back to the Grand Opera House. But be warned – I’m under the not unreasonable delusion that I’m far too young to play a granny! So brace yourself to expect the unexpected."

A Grand Opera House spokesperson said: "Discover for yourself why Berwick and his team have become a true rock of family entertainment over many decades with their hilarious anarchic approach to pantomime. 

"It's wonderfully madcap and is truly enjoyed by all ages. You may not remember the plot, but you will remember the laughs during the winter months."