A third wish granted! Lee Ryan swaps the ballroom for a magic carpet to star in Aladdin at New Wimbledon Theatre this festive season!
Having temporarily hung up his dancing shoes and left the Strictly dancefloor, New Wimbledon Theatre are delighted to announce that boyband and television star Lee Ryan will be the handsome hero Aladdin in this year’s wish-filled, must-see SW19 pantomime from 8 December.
Since joining the BRIT award-winning boyband Blue in 2001, Lee and his bandmates went on to sell over 14 million records worldwide, releasing five critically acclaimed studio albums and headlined several UK tours. The band released hit after hit, including All Rise, One Love, If You Come Back and Fly By, collaborating with the likes of Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder along the way and winning legions of fans the world over.
In 2011, to coincide with their tenth year in the music industry, Blue represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with their entry I Can. In 2013 Blue were a featured addition to the ITV2 reality television show The Big Reunion, which culminated in a sold out performance at the Hammersmith Apollo.
Since then Lee, who trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts starred as Woody Woodward in EastEnders for the BBC, a role which won him the Inside Soap Award for Best Newcomer. Earlier this year he participated in the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing for the BBC opposite professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova. Despite impressing with their Waltz, Jive and Cha-Cha-Cha, Lee and Nadiya quickstepped out of the competition on Sunday’s result show.
Speaking on his starring role in Aladdin at New Wimbledon Theatre Lee said: “I had an incredible time on Strictly and I’m sad to have left the competition, but on the plus side it means I can finally reveal my plans for Christmas, playing Aladdin in pantomime. This will be my third panto and I absolutely love it, and I’m sure there’ll be more dance moves in store for me as I dance around Old Peking.”
Lee joins Have I Got News For You stalwart and comedy star Paul Merton as Widow Twankey, alongside leading funny man, magician and television regular Pete Firman as his brother Wishee Washee. They will be joined by leading ladies Linda John Pierre and Lauren Chia as The Empress and Princess Jasmine, with Adam Pearce as Abanazar and Josh Donovan, Maria Crawford Clarke, Isaac Hesketh, Sarah Marie Maxwell, Jessica Oakman, Georgia Reid and Michael Stewart. Aladdin will be directed by Kerry Michael MBE, with choreography by Mitch Sebastian, with featured special effects by The Twins FX and an eye-popping 3D sequence which will transport audiences on a truly magical carpet ride.
New Wimbledon theatre Director Nick Parr said: “We are delighted Lee Ryan completes the cast as our hero Aladdin, we are now ready to take a magic carpet ride to the best show in Merton this Christmas!”
With tickets selling fast, audiences shouldn’t leave it any longer to secure their tickets for the pantomime everyone wishes for, Aladdin, which runs from Saturday 8 December 2018 to Sunday 6 January 2019.
Lee Ryan will not be appearing in Aladdin on Saturday 15 December due to existing television commitments.
LISTINGS
Aladdin
New Wimbledon Theatre Sat 8 Dec 2018 – Sun 6 Jan 2019 atgtickets.com/newwimbledontheatre 0844 871 7646*
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