Wonderful wizard of Oz-lington

Celebrity cameo appearances work magic for theatre fortunes

- Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

We're a third of the way through the fabulously camp production of Wicked Witches, a mashup of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, at the Pleasance theatre in Islington, north London. Dor (formerly known as Dorothy) and Tin 2.0 need guidance on how to take down the Wicked Witch and save the borough of Oz-lington from a great blizzard.

But wait! Who's that FaceTiming? It's only Jeremy Corbyn, the wise Wizard of Oz-lington! The 200-person audience cheers and applauds the Islington North MP, who looks like he's beaming in from the allotment. "It's me, the Wizard," Corbyn says. "I've been very busy planning a party, a new party. It's harder than it sounds."

Shortly thereafter, we're treated to an even battier screen cameo: Ian McKellen as Toto the dog, complete with a pair of furry ears and a fur coat. The Olivier-winner licks, pants and expresses relief that he's no longer in Cats with James Corden. "We didn't even tell him to mention Corden," Dor quips, much to the audience's delight.

The two cameos have done much to raise the profile of this local pantomime in recent weeks - underlining how familiar faces can bolster the art form. Tickets for the Pleasance's adult version of the kid-friendly show have "flown out the door", according to Ellie Simpson, the venue's head of theatre.