Davood Ghadami says he wants to frighten as many Croydon children as he possibly can.
Dangerous: Davood Ghadami will be as evil as possible in the Ashcroft Theatre panto
The Holby City and EastEnders star is playing the evil Abanazar in Aladdin at the Fairfield Halls this December, and he is determined to prove that pantomime villains are not only found at Croydon Town Hall… [Boom! Boom! We’re here all week…]
In an exclusive interview for Under The Flyover, Inside Croydon’s podcast, Ghadami admits he’ll be keeping a tally in his Ashcroft Theatre dressing room of the number of children he spots crying during the panto performances.
“Getting to play Abanazer is an absolute gift,” Ghadami said, sounding just a little bit pleased with himself… as befits a panto villain who wants to become master of the world by stealing the Genie of the Lamp.
“Abanazer is the most eeevil of panto villains. He is, I think we can all agree, the worst.
“He’s going to be evil… He’s going to be dark and dangerous, and I want to make him as dark and dangerous as I can possibly make it.
“I want to get a tally of how many kids I can get crying… yeah, that’s my aim.” And he added, with extra menace: “And it’s not just children…”.
Aladdin opens at the Ashcroft Theatre on Saturday, December 16 and runs for just three weeks, though Christmas and into the New Year.
Pure Genie-us: the cast of Aladdin promise a spectacular show at the Fairfield Halls
The producers call it, “An enchanting tale of magic, mayhem and misunderstandings… Aladdin is a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunning sets, musical hits, fabulous costumes and amazing special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained!”
Joining Ghadami in the cast is Charlie Guest as Aladdin’s brother, Wishee Washee, Kian Zomorodian as Aladdin, Richard J Hunt as panto dame Widow Twankey and Ross Dorrington as The Genie.
Kiera-Nicole Brennan from Channel 5’s Milkshake! plays Princess Jasmine, and she also features in our latest Under The Flyover podcast, talking about how important it is for her, as a former pupil at the BRIT School, to now have a starring role in the biggest stage production of the year in Croydon.
“We can’t wait to give families the ultimate escape this Christmas,” Ghadami said.
“It’s time to start practising your booing… your magic carpet awaits!”
To hear the whole of our Aladdin Under The Flyover podcast, you need to be a fully paid-up subscriber to Inside Croydon.
The podcast is available via Patreon, by clicking here, or on Spotify (search for Inside Croydon).
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