Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company – Current Tour

Versatility is the name of the game for Antony Stuart-Hicks – known to his friends as Ash.

Leanne Jones and Antony Stuart-Hicks as Tracy and Edna Turnblad in Hairspray in Dubai

He’s recently returned from flouncing about in a frock playing Edna Turnblad in a hit production of the musical Hairspray in Dubai. Now Ash is aging-up to play quintessential Athenian workman Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

Ash, just turned 26, specialises in character roles and loves playing dame in panto. As the youngest professional pantomime dame in the UK, his Christmastime credits include Widow Twankey in Aladdin, Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittingon, Dame Dolly Mixture in Snow White and Lily O’Grady in Cinderella.

His versatility has also extended to playing Colonel Mustard in Cluedo, Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers and Kaa the snake in Jungle Book.

Ash started young in showbiz, becoming a pro at just 11 and has spent the last 15 years as an actor/producer working alongside such eminent professionals as Dame Maggie Smith, Ken Dodd and Susan Penhaligon. He was born in Liverpool, brought up in Crosby and attended Chesterfield High School but now lives in Streatham Hill.

Ash’s previous roles for S4K have largely involved pencilling on the stage-wrinkles to play such parts as Ophelia’s father Polonius in Hamlet and Gonzalo in The Tempest.

This is a return to the part of Quince for S4K. Peter Quince is the workman who has the brainwave of organising his motley bunch of friends into putting on a play to entertain Duke Theseus and his new wife Hippolyta during their wedding celebrations.

He describes Quince as: “Fastidious, acutely organised and a worrier who has an aspiration to be a great director.”

But as anyone familiar with the play will know, the Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe – as enacted by Athenian workmen Bottom and friends -  turns into an hilarious fun-fest.

Ash will also be doubling as another oldie, Hermia’s grumpy dad Egeus.

S4K’s musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream tours the UK from September 14

Of all the comedy characters ever written, Bottom is surely one of the funniest. The wacky weaver from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been played by many of the greats of the theatre, all anxious to make an ass of themselves for the sake of raising a laugh.

One of the play’s Mechanicals, Bottom is enchanted by the naughty sprite Puck, who places a donkey’s head on him so that when fairy queen Titania wakes up she instantly falls in love with the hairy apparition.

Sean Luckham is playing Bottom for the second time for Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

He was born in Portsmouth and got his first taste of the magic of theatre as a 14 year old. After lessons at the Priory School he headed for the Kings Theatre in Southsea where he learnt how to be the follow-spot operator.

There he enjoyed performances by many great stars and still swoons over his memories of Judi Dench and Kate O’Mara.

These actors inspired him to join the Hampshire Specialist Drama Course then go on to tour in many shows before producing and performing in lots of productions as a Redcoat for Butlins in Bognor Regis.

Sean still lives in Bognor with his wife and three children. What do Sean’s kidz think of their dad playing Bottom?

“They love it. They think it is the norm for daddy to dress up in silly wigs and costumes, and frocks at Christmas time to play Dame in panto. They think all daddies do that!”

And why does he love playing Bottom?: “Bottom is fantastic and goes on a fabulous journey. He thinks he is everything but really he is nothing. Then he goes off into this dreamlike state and has a relationship – albeit brief! – with the most beautiful creature. Bottom certainly is changed during the play in more ways than one.”

Sean is one of S4K’s popular regular actors. He was a huge success playing Peter the servant in Romeo and Juliet – another role which featured a silly wig and Sean riding on and off stage on his scooter.

He’s usually cast as one of the funny characters, including one of the gravediggers in Hamlet and Stephano the drunken butler in The Tempest.

“My niece Sophie came to see that show with her school. She told all her classmates that I was her uncle but they wouldn’t believe her,” he laughs.

The King’s Theatre in Southsea is one of the ports of call on the spring leg of this S4K tour of The Dream and Sean is looking forward to showing his Bottom off to local audiences, friends and family on Wednesday March 11 at 10.30 and 1.20.