Sir Ian McKellen Joins Wicked Drag Christmas Pantomime Cast

Legend of the stage and screen, Sir Ian McKellen is set to star in a Wicked/Wizard of Oz-inspired drag pantomime as Toto the dog.

Staged in Islington, North London, at Pleasance Theatre, the show is led by a cast of drag queens, and also features former Labor leader and local MP Jeremy Corbyn, making an on-screen appearance as the Wizard of Oz-lington.

Described as “a washed-up rock star dog with more bark than bite and a back catalogue of bone-shaking ballads”, McKellen will also be making an on-screen appearance, but is sure to delight audiences just as much as he would on stage.

Sir Ian said of the role that he “would be barking mad to refuse.”

“Having survived – just – my appearance in the film CATS, I am thrilled, relieved even to now be offered the role of a dog, Toto no less, in Wicked Witches.”

The pair will be joined by a cast of drag performers, including Gigi Zahir/Crayola The Queen as The Wicked Witch ‘Adelphaba’; Eleanor Burke/Apple Derrieres as The Good Witch ‘Kelly Oz-Born’; Ro Suppa playing Dorothy(Dor); Lew Ray as Tin 2.0; and Nick MacDuff, playing the role of Scarecrow.

“At a time of increasing legislation against trans people, I believe it’s of the utmost importance to champion positive trans stories and heroic trans characters,” said the show’s writer and director, Shane ShayShay Konno.

“I’ve created a lot of performance work for children and have always found them to be the most accepting and enthusiastic audiences. Wicked Witches sends a message of celebrating our differences and accepting others to audiences of all ages.”

Yet another Sir Ian side quest

It’s been a big year for the 86-year-old, who hasn’t appeared to slow down after his 2024  hospitalisation following a literal fall from a stage mid-play.

In April, Sir Ian  took a role in the directorial debut of 14-year-old Jacob Franklin, where he played great uncle Peter, a partially closeted member of the protagonist’s family, inspired by LGBTQIA+ people from the 1970s and 80s.

He also opened a production of the Shakespearian comedy, Twelfth Night, featuring an all-trans and non-binary cast, and even appeared at Glastonbury during the Scissor Sisters’ set to perform his monologue from their 2010 single “Invisible Light” from their third album Night Work.

God willing, we’ll be seeing plenty more of Sir Ian’s antics in the years to come.