Britain’s Got Talent winner coming soon to Northwich Memorial Court!16 Mar

We’ve had a lot of exciting acts take to the stage over the years at Northwich Memorial Court, and this year is no different! We have a chat with Britain’s Got Talent winner Ashleigh Butler about what she’s been up to and training her dog Sully for our Easter Panto Alice in Wonderland!

Hi Ashleigh! Can you tell us what have you been up to recently?

We’ve been pretty busy this year, the first few months have just been crazy! We had Christmas panto and then I went away to South Africa to do some volunteering out there. When I came back we had a big Britain’s Got Talent reunion performance in February for charity. The weekend just gone we had Crufts, and in the next few days we start rehearsals for Alice in Wonderland!

It’s been a busy 2018 so far for you both! Obviously getting ready for a show can be a lot of pressure, but how do you find learning your lines as well as training Sully for the show?

I think being on stage on your own and learning all your own lines is hard enough but it’s that added pressure with a dog as well! It is tricky as I’ve got to say my lines but also keep an eye on Sully, do his little bits as well and then jump back into a scene and in all that time just making sure he’s not wandering off! We’ve got a couple of routines in the show as well so it’s learning and teaching them to Sully as well as all of my parts too!

I’m sure it will be brilliant! When we saw the line-up for the show we were all very excited that there was going to be a dog in it!

I think panto is all about variety and something different, and what’s more different than a dancing dog?!

Yes I don’t think many pantos can say they’ve had a dancing dog in it!

Exactly! It’s something very different but good fun!

We spoke to the lovely Dave Benson Phillips about the show, were you excited when you saw the panto line-up?

Yes definitely! I think it’s always exciting to find out who you’re going to be spending the next four to five weeks with non-stop so that’s always exciting! Also, when you get the cast list, I don’t know about anybody else but I always do a little Google on everyone and a little bit of a Facebook stalk to see who they are and what they’re up to!

I’m sure you’re not the only one! It is very wonderful eclectic mix of talents this year!

Again that’s what panto is all about, it’s about having all these different people with all kinds of talents coming together and bring a brilliant show onto stage!

Have you been to Northwich before?

I haven’t! I think I’ve driven through but I’ve never performed there!

You will really enjoy it! The Memorial Court is a perfect setting for a panto as there are a lot of families who pass through the centre, and that’s what panto is all about, getting families together and entertaining everyone!

Definitely! When it comes to panto one thing I love is that there’s something for everyone! You can look out at the audience and see grandchildren with their grandparents and parents with their families, there’s definitely something for all ages and it really brings a sense of family to it.

There really is a magical atmosphere at panto! Have you much planned for after the show?

The beginning of this year has just been crazy, I haven’t really looked ahead of what I’m doing after Alice in Wonderland! I’ve got a few projects and TV projects lined up at the moment but nothing that I can say until after panto! It’s just been a crazy start to the year but really fun!

I reckon a holiday is definitely on the cards after your busy start to the year! Is Sully looking forward to the show?

Sully is happy as long as he’s doing something! Especially when he’s performing and showing off he’s very happy!

Thanks Ashleigh! We can’t wait to see you both soon!

Don’t miss out on Ashleigh and Sully performing in Alice in Wonderland at Northwich Memorial Court on 23-24 March, all times and tickets can be found here.

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