Rebecca is relishing her Eastbourne panto return

Rebecca Lisewski has been doing panto since about the age of ten.
By Phil Hewitt
Published 20th Dec 2022, 07:05 BST
Rebecca Lisewski - Genie of RingRebecca Lisewski - Genie of Ring
Rebecca Lisewski - Genie of Ring

“I just love it,” she says as she returns to Eastbourne to play the Genie of the Ring in Aladdin this year (The Devonshire Park Theatre, December 9-January 15). “

“I have done so many pantos. I don't know how many. 20? Maybe 30?. I just love it. I love the audiences and I love the fast pace of it and it is just so much fun. I love Christmas and if you get a great cast – and mostly you do – it is just brilliant… and this cast I've got now is just amazing!

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“This is my first time back in panto for a couple years. Covid was really tough but I kind of did what I could. I got some gigs in. I've got a vintage caravan and I used to sing from the caravan and put it out online. I set up my camera and I just streamed live, Monday to Friday 6pm every night and I did that for six weeks. It gave me something to look forward to every day. I used to write the shows. The first week was a tribute to Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand and I would do 20 minutes to half an hour each time so about four or five songs. And then the following weeks I went through the genres. I did pop and I did 70s and I did 50s and then I did one for VE Day, and it was great to do. And it just showed me how much I love doing this and how much I want to work and how much I wanted to keep going and just to be doing things.”

Rebecca’s attempts to return to panto have been a bit chequered: “In 2020 I got a call to Stoke panto and that was scrapped. We didn't even start rehearsals at all and then in Woking one of the dancers got Covid and they called me up to be the cover. We rehearsed for three days and we did show one show for the staff in the theatre and that was that. That was scrapped as well, and then last year I was the Covid cover for (panto producer) Chris Jordan for all his pantos. But I never got to go on. I think he had eight pantos and if it was something like Cinderella then I would be doing Dandini and the Prince. There were six of us covering but I didn't get the chance to perform.”

Which makes it even lovelier to be back now: “It really means something to me especially to be in Eastbourne which is the flagship. It is really the best and it's got proper professionals and we all get on so well. I just can't wait to get started and just to have a really great run. And I have done Eastbourne before. I can't remember what year but it was the first time that I did Peter Pan and that was the best one. I played the Mermaid and Mrs Darling and it was the first time Chris had put that on. It was completely different – just as this is completely different now, a completely different story and I sing a lot in this one. It is going to be great.”

To book visit www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk or call 01323 412000, priced from £15.50 with concessions.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​