Panto beams up Star Trek Sulu
He’s recognised all over the world as one of the original stars
of the iconic sci-fi show Star Trek. Now George Takei - alias Mr.
Sulu - is about to boldly go where he’s never been before – and
star in pantomime at The Central Theatre, Chatham.
The veteran actor will star in his first ever pantomime, playing
The Emperor of China in this year’s production of Aladdin.
Takei has rarely been out of the spotlight since he first
appeared in Star Trek more than 40 years ago. The Los Angeles based
star is in constant demand as a vocal artist and has a recurring
role in BBC2’s cult TV series Heroes. In fact, he is so well known
he even has his own star in Hollywood’s world famous Walk of
Fame.
His iconic Star Trek character Mr. Sulu is now attracting a
whole new legion of fans with the release of this summer’s
blockbuster Star Trek – The Movie. Last year, Takei joined the line
up of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and his friendship
with actor Joe Swash during the series became one of the great
storylines of the show.
The pair made it to the final, when Swash was crowned King of
The Jungle before heading straight to The Central Theatre to star
in Cinderella. And the good things Swash told his friend about
Medway and its fun-filled pantomime audiences during his run helped
persuade Takei to sign up for this year’s show.
Medway Council’s portfolio holder for community services Cllr
Howard Doe said: "I am delighted that we have such an exciting star
heading up the cast, and I am sure that this year’s show will be
even more successful".
Theatres general manager, Tony Hill said: "Joe’s jungle success
clearly helped to make the show the most successful we’ve ever had,
and he frequently mentioned his friend ‘Gorgeous George’ during
panto performances, much to the amusement of our audience.
"When it came to casting this year’s production of Aladdin we
decided George would be the perfect choice to headline our show.
He’s an international star whose appeal crosses every generation,
and we were thrilled when he said yes".
Starring alongside George will be Shaun Williamson, who helped
make Cinderella a box office smash for The Central Theatre in 2004.
This year he will be playing the villainous Abanazar, a part he’s
played many times. Born in Kent and currently living in Faversham,
Shaun is known to millions for his role as Barry in EastEnders and
sending himself up alongside Ricky Gervais in Extras. 
Shaun will have a very busy summer before returning to The
Central Theatre stage. Currently on a nationwide tour with the Take
That stage musical Never Forget, he will also play Fletcher in a
stage tour of the classic TV sitcom Porridge, star in his own BBC
TV series Scoop and reunite with Ricky Gervais to star in the film
The Other Side of the Truth.
Aladdin, which follows three years of record-breaking sales at
the theatre, will be the sixth pantomime produced at the Central
Theatre by Evolution Productions. Performances run from 11 December
2009 to 3 January 2010. Tickets start at £12.50 for adults and
£8.50 for children with group offers and early booking discounts
available. For further information contact the box office on 01634
338338 or visit www.medway.gov.uk/theatrebooking
Wednesday, June 03 2009
Rating: 5/5 (1 votes cast!)