Jeremy Corbyn to play ‘Wizard of Oz-lington’ in Christmas pantomime
Jeremy Corbyn will play ‘The Wizard of Oz-lington’ in a Wicked-inspired performance at a pantomime in his constituency, North London, this Christmas.
The North Islington MP said Wicked Witches: A Popular Panto, which will play at the Pleasance Theater near the Caledonian Road, will be “a fun, inclusive and wonderful celebration of creativity”.
Meanwhile, the theater said Mr Corbyn’s cameo would add “a touch of local sparkle”.
He will be accompanied by drag artist Gigi Zahir, who will portray the evil witch ‘Adelphaba’. Eleanor Burke will portray the good witch Kelly Oz-Born, Lew Ray Tin 2.0, and Ro Supp Dorothy.
The MP and co-leader of your Party said: “Pleasure has been at the heart of our community for 30 years and local theaters like this deserve our support.
“Panto brings people together, it’s fun, inclusive and a wonderful celebration of creativity.
“It is a pleasure to create a little festive magic with Pleasance in its 30th year.
“Local theater is where the real magic happens – sparking the imagination and spreading some joy.”
Ellie Simpson, head of theater at Pleasance London, said: “Jeremy is 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 flare to Pleasance’s wickedly funny festive panto, which takes place for the first time in over two decades and raises the curtain on our 30th anniversary celebrations.”
The show promises “high-energy entertainment” that is “full of pop song parodies, panto magic and a surprise guest star as the magician”.
Tickets for the pantomime, which runs from 21 November until the end of December, can be purchased for prices ranging from £10 to £35.
Mr Corbyn has faced pressure in recent weeks following the chaotic launch of Your Party, which saw a series of embarrassing setbacks and weeks of bitter infighting at the top of the left-wing faction.
Last month, the former Labor leader was forced to apologize for the “confusion in getting to this point” in relaunching the party’s paid membership service after co-leader Zarah Sultana sent an “unauthorised email” from Your Party’s account inviting the party’s supporters to become paid members, apparently without her support.
This led to a violent fight between the two; Sultana claimed that she had been subjected to “baseless attacks” and said she had consulted libel lawyers.
