Snow White brings a Bucks Fizz villain to Ipswich

Ipswich families will have a new fairy-tale cast to meet this Christmas when Snow White and the Seven Dwarves runs at Ipswich Regent Theatre from Saturday 12 December to Thursday 31 December. Tickets are on sale now, although prices and individual performance times were not included in the announcement from Ipswich Borough Council Newsroom.

Produced by Enchanted Entertainment, the pantomime brings together returning Regent favourites and performers known for music, film, television and touring theatre. Alongside its family shows, the programme will include a Relaxed Performance, a BSL Interpreted and Audio Described Performance, and a separate Adult 16+ Performance.

Jay Aston swaps pop royalty for the Wicked Queen

Ellena Bacon will lead the cast as Snow White after appearing in Enchanted Entertainment’s Easter pantomime tours, including visits to the Regent Theatre. The production will place her opposite Jay Aston as the Wicked Queen.

Aston is best known as an original member of Bucks Fizz, the group that won Eurovision and found chart success with Making Your Mind Up. She continues to perform with The Fizz and record music, but in Ipswich she will take on the story’s principal villain.

Andrew Goddard joins her as the Wicked Queen’s henchman. He has more than 14 years of experience playing pantomime villains and previously appeared as Abanazar in the Regent Theatre’s 2021 production of Aladdin. His screen credits include Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Das Boot, COBRA: Cyberwar and Jingle Bell Heist.

Familiar Regent faces return to the fairy tale

AJ Jenks will play the Prince, returning to Ipswich after appearing as Prince Sheeran in Sleeping Beauty in 2023. His stage work includes touring productions of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Saturday Night Fever and Million Dollar Quartet.

Meesha Garbett takes the role of the Forest Fairy. She appeared as Hortensia, the original “Red Beret Girl”, in Matilda the Musical, with further film credits including Wicked, Cats and Jingle Jangle. She is also a World Champion Street Dancer and has performed alongside Justin Bieber.

Two established Ipswich pantomime performers complete the announced principal cast. Mike “Squeaky” McClean returns as Muddles, a role built around his audience interaction, improvisation and energetic comedy. Peter Brad-Leigh will appear as dame Nurse Nora, bringing the character’s elaborate costumes and larger-than-life humour back to the Regent stage.

The production is expected to combine the familiar ingredients of a Christmas pantomime: comedy, audience participation, songs, dancing, costumes and fairy-tale scenery. Councillor Jane Riley, Ipswich Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Culture and Customers, said the cast mixes pantomime favourites with musical and film performers as well as faces already familiar to Regent audiences.

Dates, access performances and booking details

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is aimed primarily at families and will run between 12 and 31 December 2026 at Ipswich Regent Theatre. The separate Adult 16+ Performance offers an alternative option for older audiences.

Exact show times, ticket prices and the dates of the Relaxed, BSL Interpreted, Audio Described and Adult 16+ performances were not specified in the council’s cast announcement. Tickets can be booked through the Ipswich Theatres website or by calling the Box Office on 01473 433100.

Source: Ipswich Borough Council Newsroom