Jeremy Corbyn will star in a north London pantomime in his constituency this Christmas, playing the ‘Wizard of Oz-lington’ in a Wicked-inspired performance.
Wicked Witches: A Popular Panto, which will play at the Pleasance Theatre near Caledonian Road, will be a “fun, inclusive and a brilliant celebration of creativity”, the Islington North MP said.
Meanwhile, the theatre said Mr Corbyn’s cameo will add a “touch of local sparkle”.
He will be joined by drag artist Gigi Zahir, who will play the wicked witch ‘Adelphaba’. Eleanor Burke will play the good witch Kelly Oz-Born, Lew Ray will play Tin 2.0 and Ro Supp will play Dorothy.
The MP and Your Party co-leader said: “The Pleasance has been at the heart of our community for 30 years, and local theatre like this deserves our support.
“Panto brings people together – it’s fun, inclusive and a brilliant celebration of creativity.
“It’s a pleasure to conjure up a little festive magic with the Pleasance in their 30th year.
“Local theatre is where the real wizardry happens – sparking imagination and spreading a bit of joy.”
And Ellie Simpson, head of theatre at Pleasance London, said: “Jeremy’s as much a part of Islington as the Yellow Brick Road is of Oz – so who better to play the Wizard of Oz-lington?
“His cameo adds a touch of local sparkle to our wickedly funny festive panto, which marks Pleasance’s first in over twenty years and raises the curtain on our 30th anniversary celebrations.”
The show promises “high-energy fun” which will be “packed with pop song parodies, panto magic and a surprise guest star as the wizard”.
Tickets for the pantomime, which will run from 21 November to the end of December, can be bought for between £10 and £35.
Mr Corbyn has faced pressure in recent weeks following the chaotic launch of Your Party, which saw a string of embarrassing setbacks and weeks of bitter infighting at the top of the left-wing group.
Last month, the former Labour leader was forced to apologise for “the confusion in getting to this point” as he relaunched the party’s paid-up membership service after co-leader Zarah Sultana sent an “unauthorised email” from Your Party’s account, inviting its supporters to become paid members, apparently without his backing.
That promoted a furious row between the pair, which saw Ms Sultana claim she had been on the receiving end of “baseless attacks” and announce she had consulted defamation lawyers.
