<img src='' title='Author: Natalie Hewis' alt='' id='templ_icon_' width='' height='' /> Author: Natalie Hewis

Panto cast Announcement: Genie of the Lamp with Latin Magic!

Granting wishes with a touch of Latin and ballroom magic in this year’s Marina Theatre pantomime will be Robin Windsor as he cha cha chas into the role of Genie of the Lamp in Aladdin.

The Strictly Come Dancing professional is in constant global demand having achieved world championship success, prior to partnering Anita Dobson, Patsy Kensit and Deborah Meaden in the popular Saturday night TV programme which made him an instant favourite with viewers. Robin partnered with Lisa Riley in the 2012 series, lifting the glitter ball as Strictly champions!

He started his dance training in Ipswich at the age of three and has gone on to perform and choreograph across the world, including a period in St Lucia as Entertainment Director, Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, both in Australia, headlining Burn the Floor in London’s West End, national tours of Puttin’ on the Ritz, Keep Dancing and Here Come the Boys at the legendary London Palladium.

Robin recently headlined a nationwide tour of Come What May, a high-energy musical extravaganza and received an Honorary Degree from Suffolk University for his services to dance.

Pantomime producer Paul Holman said:

“I’m delighted Robin will be performing in pantomime this December at the Marina Theatre. He has such energy and charisma, he’s perfectly cast as Genie of the Lamp, a role he has performed before in Bridlington and Redditch. Robin has also played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast at the Pavilion in Worthing, so he’ll bring some strictly swagger and attitude to the role too!”

Leading the cast in the title role will be Anthony Sahota.

Anthony Sahota shot to recognition in the BBC talent competition Let it Shine where Gary Barlow auditioned young hopefuls for his stage musical The Band. Making it through to the finals, Anthony’s talent was rewarded with offers of recording contracts, however he took the decision to concentrate on his studies and a degree in engineering was his reward!

Never shaking off the thrill of performing, Anthony was directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber in Whistle Down the Wind, appeared in the Bollywood musical Bring on the Bollywood and spent most of 2022 touring the UK in the David Walliams hit Billionaire Boy  before appearing in the pantomime Aladdin at Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone.

Joining them will be popular returning star, Lowestoft’s favourite Terry Gleed as Wishy Washy and back by popular demand Alexander Lee – who wowed audiences as Fleshcreep in Jack & the Beanstalk, will take up the role of Abanaza. Completing the principle cast actress Mia Longman will play the princess.

Aladdin takes off at the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft from 12 December to 1 January 2024. Book your tickets here.

BBC wildlife presenter and London singer bring birdsong show to Suffolk theatre

What happens when a wildlife ranger meets a stage performer birdwatching on the east coast? Well, they create a theatre show inspired by their feathered friends.

Ajay Tegala – the BBC nature presenter, author and ranger – and London singer Anthony Harris, bring their show A Year of Birdsong and Bird Songs to Lowesotft.

With costumes, choreography and a cacophony of calls, birds are nature’s performers, leading dramatic and theatrical lives. The UK is blessed with a changing cast of winged visitors throughout the four seasons.

From our smallest to our tallest, loudest caller to most complicated singer, Ajay passionately shares fascinating facts, anecdotes and admiration for Britain’s birds. From pigeons in the park to seabirds soaring thousands of miles around the globe, the show looks at the lives and songs of our avian actors through the cold winter months and the sunny summer days as they battle to fly, feed and fledge young.

Between the stories, sounds and footage, Anthony warbles his way from classical to opera, folk to pop, choral to show tunes, in celebration of skylarks, nightingales, woodpeckers, owls, geese and even an ugly duckling.

“The show puts the audiences to the test in a fun way, giving knowing nods when they hear the sounds of the familiar birdsong, and a sense of ‘Oh that’s what it is!’ when they discover some of the lesser known calls,” said Ajay who works as a National Trust ranger.

Stepping through the seasons, A Year of Birdsong and Bird Songs navigates the wintry cold landscapes in to the bustling dawn chorus of spring, with Ajay sharing his unique footage.

From his time conserving rare British wildlife, and working on BBC Springwatch and Winterwatch, Ajay has had many weird and wonderful encounters of the feathered kind. Paired with Anthony’s singing – and love for encouraging audience participation – their show will have audiences tapping their feet, listening, learning and larking around!

Marina Theatre, Lowestoft, Suffolk on Friday 9^th June at 7.30pm. Book now