DANI HARMER, Tracy Beaker star and 2012 Strictly Come Dancing finalist, completes a hat-trick of pantomime appearances at York Barbican on Sunday.
She will play Wendy in the Barbican's Easter panto, Peter Pan, performing alongside Disney's Art Attack presenter Lloyd Warbey in the title role and veteran comedy turn Bobby Davro as Smee in shows at 3pm and 7pm.
"I'm really looking forward to coming back to York as I really love it," says the 25-year-old actress, presenter, singer and dancer from Bracknell.
"The Barbican is a lovely place to work in; it's a big space and it's very special to perform there as there's not much theatre done there."
Dani appeared twice at Yo rk Barbican in 2012, playing Dorothy in the Easter panto, The Wizard Of Oz, and the lead role in Cinderella in December that year, when she had to divide her rehearsal time in York between Strictly and the panto.
"It is a little different doing a panto at Easter, but it does go down really well because there just aren't enough family shows around the country, and usually the only thing families can do is go to the West End for something like Charlie And The Chocolate Factory; tickets can cost £70 and then there's the cost of travel, which is barking mad."
The spring tour of Peter Pan is being staged by Enchanted Entertainment, the team behind York Barbican's performances of The Wizard Of Oz and Rapunzel at Easter 2011. Expect a "star cast, impressive live music, energetic dance routines, lots and lots of laughter and flying that will thrill the child in all of us as Peter Pan soars to new heights", the Ashford-based company says.
You should also expect to see Dani "flying". "This show is the first time I get to fly on stage," she says.
"I'm really looking forward to flying because every company does something different with Peter Pan and the kids love it because it's so magical," she says. "You just need fairy dust and a happy thought and you're magically transported!
"I'll be OK flying as long as I trust the person making the magic happen, just like I trusted my little Vincent [Simone] utterly on Strictly when they put us together and we looked like normal people together. Well, more like Hobbit size!!"
Looking ahead, will Dani be doing another pantomime at Christmas? "I have no idea about a Christmas show just yet, and I might even treat myself to a Christmas off," she says. "I've just opened my Dani Harmer's Academy of Arts at a school in Ascot. We do four hours every Saturday morning. We opened in September and we're already full for classes for six to 18 year olds.
"They're absolutely loving it, seeing how much they've achieved already and their confidence is really growing. Hopefully I'll be opening more schools too."
Tickets for Peter Pan on Sunday can be booked on 0844 854 2757, online at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the box office, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm.
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