EastEnders star Rita Simons dons hook for Dunstable Grove’s Peter Pan panto
It’s that time of year again when serious actors put on fancy costumes, belt out show tunes, and trade their on-screen drama for a touch of chaos, glitter, and festive fun.
This Christmas, Dunstable’s Grove Theatre will be alive with laughter and music (plus a few hisses and boos) as EastEnders star Rita Simons steps into the villainous role of Captain Hook in The All New Adventures of Peter Pan.
Rita, best known for playing Roxy Mitchell on EastEnders, is the latest member of the Mitchell family to appear on the Dunstable stage, after Phil Mitchell, (played by Steve McFadden), was the resident baddie in 2023.
The show also stars CBBC and CBeebies favourite Rhys Stephenson, fan favourite Will Kenning as Mrs Smee, and SIX The Musical’s Aoife Haakenson.
For her 12th pantomime, Rita said she was thrilled to be performing in a town very close to her heart.
She explained: “I grew up being taken to the Dunstable Downs by my grandma and my mum… It’s lovely that I get to stay near home again because I live in Liverpool now.”
When asked why she loves playing the villain, she said: “I’m always the bad guy. I played the goodie once. I hated it… Give me evil all day long.”
And even with years of experience on stage and screen, she is not immune to pre-show nerves: “I always get abnormally nervous… Prepare, learn your lines… involvement is the worst enemy of self-consciousness… if you stay involved in what you’re saying, you can’t actually have anxiety at the same time.”
Will returns for his eighth year with Evolution Productions and said he loves performing in the town: “Dunstable is the best place to do panto anywhere in the country… It’s just a fabulous show that’s got the right balance between the story and it’s funny.”
The panto is written by Paul Hendy and produced by award-winning Evolution Productions. It will run from Friday, December 5, 2025, to Sunday, January 4, 2026.
The production also includes accessible performances, with a signed show on December 29 at 2pm, a relaxed performance on January 2 at 2pm, and an audio-described show on January 4 at 1pm, including a touch tour prior to the performance.
Tickets are on sale now.