This year marks an incredible 60 years since pantomime was first staged at Birmingham Hippodrome….that’s A LOT of glitter and greasepaint!

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So what better way to celebrate than with a look back at some of the iconic stars who have donned the stockings and trod the Hippodrome boards across the years!

Back where it all began… Birmingham Hippodrome’s first traditional pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, opened on 21 December, 1957. The stars were comedians Beryl Reid, Reg Dixon and Freddie Frinton (as the Dame). It was such a huge success that the run had to be extended until 1 March 1958.

Having a ball…Over the Hippodrome’s history, the role of Fairy Godmother in Cinderella has marked the pantomime debuts of Jane Macdonald, Jodie Prenger and, this year, twice Mobo award-nominated actress and West End star Beverley Knight!

There is nothing like a dame…It was as an Ugly Sister in the 1961/1962 production of Cinderella that female impresario Danny La Rue made his first Hippodrome appearance- together with Alan Haynes. This was the Hippodrome’s first production of Cinderella, which starred Lonnie Donegan as Buttons. As a life-long friend and admirer of Danny’s work, Ceri Dupree, who plays Ugly Sister Voluptua in this year’s production of Cinderella – is the proud owner of the original dress worn by the late, great Danny La Rue in the 1969 production of Queen Passionella and the Sleeping Beauty at the Saville Theatre in London.

It’s A Puppet! It isn’t just human stars who’ve brought in the laughs across the years here in Birmingham! Over its long history, the Hippodrome has played host to such family favourites as Sooty, George, Zippy and Bungle, Spit The Dog, Rod Hull and Emu, Nookie the bear, Churchill the Dog, Basil Brush, Orville and Cuddles the monkey!

When it comes to legends of variety, they don’t come much bigger than Morcambe and Wise. But did you know that Britain’s favourite comedy double-act appeared in Sleeping Beauty in Birmingham back in 1966? Their visit was famously immortalised by Central Television’s fledgling young reporter John Swallow, in a car-crash interview for ATV!

Surprise Surprise! In traditional panto, the role of principal boy is commonly played by a girl. But it may surprise (surprise) you to know that one of the most famous of these was none other than Cilla Black, who played the role of Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk in 1983/4.

And they lived happily ever after… In the 1991/1992 Hippodrome Cinderella, Des O’Connor played Buttons and Cinderella was played by Jodie Wilson. The couple subsequently married so this was the only time in panto history that Buttons got to marry Cinderella!

Hippodrome Favourites…From Julian Clary to Joe Pasquale, Brian Conley to John Barrowman, when it comes to audience favourites, Birmingham Hippodrome has always delivered. But it’s honorary Brummie Matt Slack who holds the record for the most consecutive appearances on the Hippodrome stage! This year marks Matt Slack’s fifth year starring in a Birmingham Hippodrome panto. By the time this year’s production draws to a close, he will have clocked up over 360 appearances on the Birmingham Hippodrome stage! No wonder we love him so much!

Double The Trouble: Comedy double-acts have always been a staple of the great British pantomime and nowhere more so than at the Hippodrome! Alongside entertainment legends Morcambe and Wise, famous double-acts to have graced the stage across the years include Mike and Berni Winters, The Krankies, The Chuckle Brothers and current stars The Grumbleweeds, who first appeared at the Hippodrome back in 2006.

Rockin’ in the aisles…Pantomime has never shied away from the world of popular culture and across the years, has played host to some of pop’s most famous faces. Throughout the decades, the Hippodrome alone has welcomed such star names as Cliff Richard, Frankie Vaughn, Jane McDonald and Irish pop group The Bachelors.

Fit For A Princess…From our favourite sporting stars to the biggest names in music, film and TV, panto wouldn’t be panto without a fairytale princess! Among the showbiz royals to tread the boards at Birmingham Hippodrome over the years are Bond girl Britt Eckland, Eastenders favourite Anita Harris and Lelita Dean, The Generation Game’s Rosemary Ford, actress and singer Melinda Messenger and current star; pop-princess Suzanne Shaw.

Something wicked this way comes…And of course, what’s a handsome prince or beautiful princess without an evil stepmother to soak up those hisses and boos! From star-turns by the likes of Lily Savage and Stephanie Beacham as The Wicked Queen in Snow White to Joan Collins’ perfectly putrid Queen Rat in Dick Whittington…being BAD has never felt soooo good!

You can find out more about the history of panto at Birmingham Hippodrome by visiting our Hippodrome Heritage website. A huge thank you to Hippodrome Heritage Volunteers Ivan Heard and Sophie Lewis for helping to research this article.

And if you’ve yet to experience the fairy godmother of all pantomimes on our stage this year, there’s still time to grab yourself a ticket to the ball but you’ll have to hurry! Cinderella is only with us until Sun 28 January.

The clock is ticking Birmingham….