Finally, It's the one we've all been waiting for.....Mother Goose herself, Paul Cleveland!
This is Paul's second Millfield Pantomime after starring in Beauty and the Beast as Madame Fifi. After dazzling last year, it is great to have Paul back as Mother Goose! Here is what he had to say about superpowers and inspiring the next generation of Theatre Goers!
What are some of your acting career highlights?
Musical wise - I loved being in the musical Cats, which was a childhood ambition of mine and worked really hard to get into. I did that for a year and I enjoyed that. Another highlight would be a play called Veronica’s Room, which I toured the country with. I was a four-hander, very complex plot, involving people pretending to be other people involving murder and all sorts of things like that.
Is this your first time performing in a pantomime?
No. My first pantomime was Beauty and the Beast, and I played the Narrator who was a goblin. It was rewritten as a musical once we’d done it at christmas and we toured the UK with it for a year, then did it again as a pantomime. It was about to go to the West End but it didn’t quite get there. We had a great time - it was good!
When did you watch your first pantomime and what was it?
I think it would have probably been a local amateur pantomime. I didn’t go to them as a child, I went to them as a teenager, when I was training.
How did you feel watching your first pantomime?
I think it added to what i wanted to get into, it had an illusion of glamour about it as well as thinking what fun it might be, and the proper job of entertaining people as opposed to just looking and thinking ‘well this looks great’ - there’s actually a job to do. Theres a responsibility. Pantomimes are often the first time a child comes to the theatre, so its really crucial that they see the best that you can give them. Hopefully it will turn them into the theatre goers of the future.
Who would you love to do a duet with?
I’d actually love to sing a duet with Elaine Page. I think she has the most extraordinary voice, I’ve seen her many many times in performance and I think she’s an incredible artist.
What would be your superpower and why?
I’d like to be able to freeze something, so I can stop a bad situation from happening. Or I’d like to go back in time. I’d like to time travel back to ancient Egypt or a pivotal moment in ancient history. Maybe even within this country, I’d love to just see it and be there. I have a big affection for the 1920’s and 1930’s - the rebelling against the Victorian age and everything that happened there.
What advice would you give a teenage you?
To be more confident, not to worry so much, and to enjoy it all a lot more, as opposed to being concerned that you’re not good enough, or not working hard enough, or that you’re not achieving what other people are achieving. To teach yourself to be patient, because as a character actor, my work wasn’t necessarily going to come in my 20’s, in fact I played children throughout my 20’s. My character work is going to come now in my 40’s. So me playing Mother Goose now, really is a symbol of being patient and knowing how you fit in to the entertainment business. You might not fit in in your 20’s, and do things you don’t really want to do, and then you have to wait, and have to be very very committed to it to withstand that.
A Big Thanks to Mother Goose for that interview!
Dont Forget, There will be an opportunity to take a photo with at least one cast member after the following performances:
Sunday 1st Dec – 11am
Saturday 7th Dec – 1.30pm
Sunday 8th Dec – 11am
Saturday 14th Dec – 1.30pm
Sunday 15th Dec – 11am
Friday 20th Dec – 1.30pm
Saturday 21st Dec – 1.30pm
Sunday 22nd Dec – 11am
Sessions are free, just show your ticket!
Book Now! https://www.millfieldtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/mother...