‘The wildest ride to Neverland you have ever been on’: Tuckshop returns to the West End

by Aaron Sugg

The West End will soon be abuzz with excitement as TuckShop, the UK’s leading all-drag production company, returns to the stage for the fourth time with its annual pantomime this festive season.

This year, TuckShop has put together a raucous rendition of Peter Pan at The Phoenix Theatre, running from Monday, 2 December 2024, to Monday, 6 January 2025.

Headlining the show is reigning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK champion, Ginger Johnson, who steps into the role of the sinister yet spirited Captain Hook.

Alongside Ginger Johnson, is a star-studded line-up of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK icons: Kitty Scott-Claus, Cheryl Hole and Kate Butch, each taking on the roles of the Darling children.

This marks Cheryl Hole’s return to the West End after a successful run in 2021’s Dick Whittington.

Cheryl said: ‘This is my second panto with TuckShop, I am so excited to be back and bring some stupidity back to the West End.
Everybody is very serious these days, we need some fun, some light, and some laughter.’

As Wendy, the eldest Darling sibling, Kitty Scott-Claus said with a laugh: ‘Ickle bubby Cheryl gets on my nerves the most! I don’t know the difference between John and Michael it’s John and/or Michael! Who can honestly tell the difference, apart from one wears a nappy?’

The production also features TikTok sensation Bailey J Mills as Tinkerbell, who, in true form said: ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get!’

Rounding out the cast are drag talents Yshee Black, Ophelia Love, Mahatma Khandi, and drag king Richard Energy.

In keeping with TuckShop’s signature style, this Peter Pan is a fresh ‘all-drag salute’ to the classic tale.

Kitty Scott-Claus said: ‘Panto is the best thing to get you in the Christmas spirit. I love being back with TuckShop, and this cast is hilarious!’

Richard Energy, who plays Peter, said: ‘It’s my second time doing a TuckShop production on the West End. I’ve worked with a few of the cast before, but it’s my first time with Bailey, and I’m having the best time. This Peter Pan might be a little different from others you might have seen. He is a bit naughtier, and his pixie dust is a little naughtier too.

TuckShop founder Chris Clegg was named in The Stage 100 as one of the most influential people in the UK theatre scene in 2023.

He said: ‘This year’s drag panto is going to be bigger and more stupid than ever. We have an amazing cast for this show and a hilarious script by Gareth Joyner, the hilarious comedian behind Myra Dubois. It is going to be the wildest ride to Neverland you have ever been on.’

The cast is also excited about the unpredictable, improv-style humour that each performance will bring.

Richard Energy said: ‘The show will be a bit different every time we perform. The show is written by the fantastic Gareth Joyner, but we get to improvise around it. If you couldn’t tell already, it will more often than not get a bit stupid.

Bailey J Mills emphasised the joy of working with this fun-loving cast, they said: ‘None of us are afraid to be silly or make a fool of ourselves. It is going to be as fun for us to perform as it is going to be for the audience to watch.’

Tickets are on sale now, starting at 20, and fans are encouraged to book early to avoid missing out on this fabulous twist on a holiday classic.

Kitty Scott-Claus said: ‘This panto is for the gays, the theys, the girls, anyone who loves a prosecco brunch, get your tickets now!’