Just when you thought Pleasance’s gloriously camp Christmas extravaganza Wicked Witches – A Popular Panto! couldn’t get any more magical, they’ve conjured up another showbiz legend.
With Jeremy Corbyn MP already announced as the onscreen Wizard of Oz‑lington, audiences might have believed the magic had peaked. Could it get any better? Oh yes it could! Sir Ian McKellen is officially joining the onscreen cast as Toto, a washed‑up rock star dog with more bark than bite.
Yes, you heard that right. The man who brought Gandalf, Magneto and King Lear to life will now be channelling his inner canine crooner with a tail wag that could headline Glastonbury.
Sir Ian comments, “Having survived – just – my appearance in the film of CATS, I am thrilled, relieved even to now be offered the role of a dog – TOTO no less in Wicked Witches. I would be barking mad to refuse.”
Directed by the wickedly witty Shane ShayShay Konno (Mulan Rouge, The Vaults; The Simple Life & Death, The Pleasance), Wicked Witches – A Popular Panto! is a riotous mash‑up of pop parody, cabaret chaos and camp as high as Dorothy’s hemlines.
Joining McKellen and Corbyn are drag powerhouse Gigi Zahir/Crayola The Queen (Cinderella, Theatre Royal Stratford East) as The Wicked Witch ‘Adelphaba’, Eleanor Burke/Apple Derrieres (Death Drop, West End) as The Good Witch ‘Kelly Oz‑Born’, Ro Suppa (Count Dykula, Soho Theatre) as Dorothy, Lew Ray (QUEENZ, UK tour) as Tin 2.0, and Nick MacDuff (Beauty and the Feast, The Vaults) as Scarecrow.
Ellie Simpson, Head of Theatre at Pleasance, comments, “From Gandalf to King Lear to Toto – only at Pleasance! Having Sir Ian join our festive fun is truly iconic, the icing on our ruby‑red cake.”
This special collaboration combines The Vaults’ reputation for anarchic, subversive pantomimes with The Pleasance’s unique cabaret‑style space and community focus. Wicked Witches is the theatre’s most ambitious Christmas offering to date, launching the build‑up to Pleasance London’s 30th anniversary in 2026.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
