Panto stalwart Billy Pearce has bond with Bradford people ahead of Cinderella stint

The panto stalwart will play Buttons in Cinderella at the Alhambra theatre from tomorrow – alongside singer and Loose Women presenter Coleen Nolan and her son, Shane.

The comic’s first panto appearance in Bradford came in 1997 when he first starred in Cinderella.

Billy, 66, has appeared in Cinderella five times over the years, and in Jack and the Beanstalk and Peter Pan twice. Other productions he has been involved with in the city include Aladdin and Snow White, in which he appeared as a mirror on the wall in 2005.

His co-stars over the years have included actor Darren Day, the late Lynda Bellingham, former Emmerdale star Malandra Burrows, popstar Chico and John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools and Horses. Billy said he had enjoyed working with all of his Bradford co-stars.

He said he loved entertaining Bradford residents for the festive tradition and felt he shared a special bond with them.

He said: “I still get nervous before each show.

“I seem to have a bond with Bradford people. They are really good to me. I feel like a part of Bradford now.

“I feel proud and honoured and lucky enough to be able to come here as often as I have. I love it.

“Even now, when I’m rehearsing, it’s wonderful.

“The secret is when you find a job you like, then you never have to work again. I feel like that.

“I love entertaining people and hearing kids laughing.

“There is nothing quite like a pantomime for a family to come and see and join in with, as they can identify with the people on stage and connect with them.

“This year’s rehearsals are going really well. Everyone is working really hard on it.

“I do stick to the script but ad lib all of the time. I always feed my co-stars the right lines though.

“You look at pantos like a football league and we are in the First Division. It is a West End-standard production.

“When I first started it was not as technologically advanced as it is now. That side of it has changed. We have been rehearsing all of the special effects this week. It has now gone away from the more traditional side of panto a bit.

“Pantomime is something that all of the family can come to.”

Billy, who started his career as a Butlins red coat in 1970, joked that some of the panto traditions, including cast members throwing sweets out into the crowd had stopped – in that case after an audience member caught a lemon sherbet up their nose.

Billy added things did not always go to plan on stage.

One year, when he was appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk, a real cow was used on stage.

Billy said he befriended the cow, which was staying in a barn in Thornton Road, in the lead-up to the production and used to go and feed it bread.

He said he was prepared for the cow needing the toilet and left a bucket and shovel in the wings.

In one performance he said he sensed the cow needed the toilet. He went to get the bucket and, while backstage, heard a roar of laughter from the 1,200-strong crowd.

Billy said a circus performer on stage had used their top hat to catch what the cow had produced.

Billy said he was looking forward to working with Coleen Nolan again, alongside her son for this year’s production.

He said: “I have not seen Coleen, or worked with her for a number of years. She has been great – it’s nice to see her.

“It has been very, very intense this last week. It is a miracle how it comes together, but it always does. That’s due to the hard work of everybody involved.”

A relaxed performance of this year’s Cinderella production will take place on Tuesday, January 16, from 6pm. It has been specially designed for people with an autistic spectrum condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder.

Lighting and special effects will be slightly altered for the performance, which include removing strobes and flashing lights and reducing very loud noises. But the content of the show will not be specifically changed.

Cinderella runs until January 28. For tickets, call 01274 432000.