As Wishee’s mum Widow Twankey, Nick Wilton says: “She’s such a great character. She’s a real man-chaser and very naughty.” The man best known as Market Inspector Mr Lister on EastEnders since 2008 is also hailed as one of the best pantomime dames in the business and last played Widow Twankey in a 2016 production of Aladdin at the Theatre Royal. “This is a different take because Jon Monie always writes a great script,” Nick adds. “It also means I get a lot more schtick from my on-stage son. I’m definitely the butt of all his jokes.”
Wilton’s roster of dames also includes Polly La Plonk in Beauty and the Beast, Dolly in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk. “I started out doing sketch shows on TV, which don’t exist anymore, and pantos encompassed a lot of what I was already doing – like character work, sketches and routines,” he says of why he’s drawn to the genre. “I also love that cheeky relationship with the audience.”
Does he get to sing in the show? “Unfortunately for the audience, yes, but they’re character songs. And again, Jon has written some fantastic lyrics. I also love the fact that as always in Bath it’s very much a theatre panto rather than one of the big glitzy ones full of star names. It’s traditional and very story-led, and there’s always a wonderful and warm atmosphere at the Theatre Royal.”
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