You can tell Ross Carpenter to grow up, but the West End star won't listen – he's Peter Pan, the little boy who will NEVER grow up, and this year he is starring in the title role at Milton Keynes Theatre's panto spectacular, writes Sammy Jones.
Ross has played Peter a number of times, joining the Chuckle Brothers, Joe Pasquale and Jason Manford for other performance runs. Who has been the best?
“Craig Revel Horwood, obviously!” he retorts, even though they've yet to share a stage together.
Joining the Strictly star for the festive run will see Ross bringing his pristine best to the stage too: “Craig is renowned for being so showbiz, so I think it would be weird not to want to match him with that kind of energy.”
Energy is in no short supply here, though; Evelyn Hoskins and Zara Macintosh will also play their parts in this year's festive fun, starring as Wendy and Tink.
It's Zara's panto debut, and she is 'really excited for it.'
“Even though I've never done a panto before, in the shows I have been in we always do children's performances and they are normally hands down the best shows we do in our run, so I am excited to have that energy every single day, and it does help us push and give back.
“Families could have saved up a whole year for this moment, and it is everybody from all different backgrounds and walks of life coming to escape for a few hours.
"We all have a responsibility to lead that joy and I feel we take from them just as much as they take from us, without getting too deep.
“Panto has got a sense of freedom to it as well, and I can't wait to just be silly for a month, just let my inner child come out,” Zara said.
“I remember my first panto being really overwhelming, I remember feeling really emotional hearing them all screaming and I got properly choked up on stage. I was playing Cinderella,” said Evelyn, or Wendy as she will be known for the duration of this pantomime. She smiles at the memory, “It's really special, and very rare when you are in a show where the audience are that vocal and that present.”
“What's fun about panto is you get to bring that fourth wall down and you get to talk to the audience, and the music is always fun, and it's Christmas so everyone's spirits are up.
"It is often kids' first experience of theatre ever, and for three or four generations of one family to come and watch one show all together is so special.”
Playing Peter is a full circle moment for the young actor whose interest in the theatre was piqued when his Scout group went to watch an am-dram production of Cinderella. Ross was seven years old.
“I remember it vividly,” he recalled, “I went home and told my mum I wanted to do the next one, and I did.”
And now he's flying high in the lead role in the swashbuckling Christmas adventure.
Time is precious between performances, but they all agree that there will be some time to hit the shopping centre for a little retail therapy: “Do they still have the frog that blows the bubbles?” Ross asks of the oversized Midsummer Place amphibian, “I used to really like that as a kid!”
If anyone reading this is still debating taking a ticket for the seasonal spectacular, Peter, erm we mean Ross, has some words of encouragement: “People should come because it is a good first impression of theatre for everyone who hasn't been before,” he smiled, “But it is also a good old story that is going to be told in a different way in which people have never seen before.”
Peter Pan continues at Milton Keynes Theatre until Sunday, January 5, 2025.
To book tickets visit ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes
