EVERY year thousands of people boo and hiss when the traditional pantomime takes place at Rhyl’s Pavilion Theatre.
Tupele Dorgu has swapped the street for the stage to wow theatre fans this Christmas.
Tupele, probably best known for her role as brassy Kelly Crabtree of Coronation Street, is practicing her evil laugh ahead of the Rhyl Pavilion’s 2011 pantomime.
She will don the sequins and head-dress of one of panto’s most enduring characters - the Evil Queen in Snow White.
Tupele said: “This is my third time in pantomime. I went to see Mother Goose when I was a kid and I just thought it was amazing. It’s a great British tradition. They are a lot of fun.
“I was in Coronation Street for five and a half years and it’s nice to move on to different things. The majority of actors want to do lots of different parts with lots of different people.”
Tupele said she was looking forward to getting her teeth into the role, which involves ample opportunities to bring out her dark side.
“I’ve never been a bad person before. I’ve had a few friends say baddies get the best parts. I think I might have a little look at other versions to get some makeup tips and try to get my evil laugh down.”
But it’s not all mad cackling and mirror mirror for the former soapstar, who counts her colleagues as one of the best things about panto.
She said: “You do become a bit of a family. You do meet a lot of good people. One of the things I’m looking forward to is the parties. People play jokes and tricks on each other.”
While the audience will simply see the finished product, backstage the actors put in hard graft.
Tupele said: “The hardest thing is having the energy to do it again and again and again. When you’re part of a long run, it can seem like there’s not enough recovery time.
“But it becomes second nature. You can do the same show every night for a month and every show will be different.”