Next month, the Robin Hood pantomime will open at The Capitol Theatre Horsham, in which Jack North will play Little John from Saturday 22nd November through to Sunday 4th January 2026, with tickets currently on sale, and Jack will work with a cast including Mark Irwin as Robin Hood, Georgia Bradshaw as Maid Marian and Gina Murray as The Sheriff. In Homo Alone – the adult pantomime version of Home Alone (written by Bobby Delaney and Jodie Prenger), Jack played the dual roles of Peter and Marv when it was open last year at The Other Palace, and in 2023, he portrayed Charles Lightoller in the UK Tour of Titanic. Jack played Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and he played Robertson Ay in the West End revival of Mary Poppins in 2019, reprising his role when theatres could reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the original cast of the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End, Jack originated the roles of Dudley Dursley, Karl Jenkins and Viktor Krum, and amongst his numerous stage roles, he played Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd at the London Coliseum with Dame Emma Thompson, and he was in the casts of Guys and Dolls, Gypsy and Barnum. Catching up with Jack, we found out from him about this year’s The Capitol Horsham pantomime Robin Hood (in which he plays Little John), playing Robertson Ay in Mary Poppins in the West End and originating the roles of Dudley Dursley, Karl Jenkins and Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London.

You will be playing Little John in the Robin Hood pantomime this year at The Capitol, Horsham, how would you describe Little John and what will you bring to the role?

Little John is a very sweet but unfortunate lad with a lot of heart and even more energy. He’s tried his hand at a lot of things in his life and somehow hasn’t managed to be good at any of them. He loves his mum very much and loves working in their creamery, however, more than anything, he wants to be one of Robin Hood’s merry men. I definitely love being the goon on stage. I’ve got an odd face that makes some funny shapes and have a knack for chucking myself around a stage (safely in most scenarios), so I think that will bode well for Little John and the chaos that is very ‘him’.

What are you looking forward to for performing in pantomime this Christmas and interacting with the family audience?

I’m most looking forward to the audiences that fuel any panto experience and hearing the little excited screams and giggles from all the children, a lot having their first theatre experience ever. I’m also looking forward to the inevitable half a stone weight loss that comes with any panto (guilt-free Christmas!).

What was it like reading the Robin Hood script for the first time and have you seen the show performed live as a pantomime previously?

It was the first panto script I’d read in about 12 years. I just love it’s a tradition! The beats and scenes people come to know and expect from a panto (the ‘slosh’ scene, the ‘front cloth’), they’re sacred tropes to any pantomime that never get old. The writers James Camp (who’s also in the show) and Alison Arnopp have made a cracking show. It’s really fun and magical with all those fun ‘over the kids heads’ gags that the parents most look forward to.

How will you prepare for opening on 22nd November and what do you think the pantomime will be like to be part of?

Good comedy is meticulous and freestyle at the same time. I just want to have all that material really engraved in my mind in order to find where all the fundamental ‘beats’ land. From then, I’ll feel comfortable playing in the moment and just chucking everything at the wall to get as many laughs as possible and, of course, run away with the show. Panto is always a real quick process, so it’s important to be prepared, but also be brave and have a keen sense of imagination.

How was it meeting some of your fellow cast members, which includes Mark Irwin as Robin Hood, Georgia Bradshaw as Maid Marian and Gina Murray as The Sheriff, and have you worked with any of them before?

It was really awesome meeting my fellow castmates at our recent photoshoot to promote Robin Hood. I’ve not had the chance to work with any of them before but I’m sure within hours I’ll be obsessed with them all and suggesting we all go on holiday together.

Why would you recommend booking tickets to see Robin Hood at The Capitol in Horsham?

The Capitol in Horsham exists very much in the sense of community spirit. Robin Hood will definitely represent that. It’ll be a thigh-slapping feast for the eyes with tons of silly fun, gorgeous dancing and singing that will have the whole family ready to launch into that festive season. This theatre has a real heart and the way in which Horsham and The Capitol staff come together to produce this epic show really is a heartwarmer.

What was it like performing the dual roles of Peter/Marv in Homo Alone – the adult pantomime version of Home Alone – at The Other Palace last year?

Homo Alone was riotous. It was a VERY bizarre evening in the theatre and I am soo glad to have been a part of it. The show was very funny (written by Bobby Delaney and Jodie Prenger).

Four people on stage constantly switching character, telling the most side-splitting rude material. High-kicking, sex toys, Celine Dion and the important message of goodwill to all at Christmas. I loved my cast and to feel the entire audience in the palms of our hands, every night without question, was addictive. I want to do it again one day!

You portrayed Charles Lightoller in the 2023 UK Tour of Titanic; how was it taking on the role and telling the story around the country?

Titanic was a very different experience, it’s fair to say. The score is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful in the musical theatre canon. I really did adore singing it every night. Wearing a dapper officer’s uniform and seeing parts of the world I never thought I would with a really gorgeous bunch of humans.

How did you find the experience starring as Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and how was it performing the choreography?

42nd Street was a dream come true. J’adore Paris! It was a real marathon of a role, so staying healthy was the biggest issue. Eight shows a week is no joke and this role is no slouch. The show was put together by one of my biggest heroes and champions Stephen Mear. He’s soo generous to me, so for the opportunity to try and display all that I think I do well, that classic golden age style of musical comedy, was something that I’ll always be grateful for. The choreography was slick and stylised, with bursts of crazy energy that I don’t think I’ll ever dance as good again.

What was it like joining the 2019 West End revival of Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre, and how was it reprising your role of Robertson Ay in 2021 when the musical could reopen after theatres closed during the coronavirus pandemic?

Robertson Ay was my first real go at slapstick. The show needs a little outlet for the children watching the show to have a giggle and poke fun at. Chucking myself around that set and singing those classic Sherman Brothers songs, it was a perfect experience for me. I really loved that show. Put together by absolute musical theatre titans, Mary Poppins was soo joyous. The company looked after us soo well all the way through the pandemic and, although it was never promised that we’d reopen, we felt very cared for and protected.

Watching Step in Time in the wings the night we reopened, however, was just jaw-dropping. The audience absolutely went mental! It stopped the show for about four minutes.

What was it like originating the roles of Dudley Dursley, Karl Jenkins and Viktor Krum in the world premiere production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End and what was it like being involved with a new Harry Potter project?

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was shrouded with soo much secrecy, that it’s hard to remember much of the details. Rehearsing in such a secluded space for weeks on end with this odd but magical bunch of bandits was what I loved the most. Everyone was invested in making this story soo special, that even though there would be an inevitable hierarchy in terms of all the characters we know and love, we all felt very equal and valued.

My memories of the first ‘gasps’ cried out by its very first audiences was such a rush. I also remember the book being released the day after our world premiere. Every face on the tube was covered by this book and I remember thinking ‘this is mad, my names in that book’.

Do you have any stand-out memories from playing Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd at the London Coliseum that you can share?

I had sung Tobias’ song Not While I’m Around about 20 million times before I’d even auditioned for the show. It seemed to me, the part that I was most suited to play. I remember singing it with Dame Emma Thompson for the first time and it took on an entire new meaning to me. I had never felt that submerged in any material ever before. There was no denying that finally I knew what it ‘meant’ to be that devoted to someone, and that was down purely to the way she looked at me. Ironically, it was never better than that first go round. She wiped a tear away and said ‘that was very good, however, I want you to know that I won’t cry when we do it so be prepared’.

Can you tell us about some of the other shows you’ve performed in over your career so far, which have included Guys and Dolls at Théâtre Marigny, Pinocchio at the National Theatre, Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure at the Adelphi Theatre and The Country Wife, Gypsy and Barnum at Chichester Festival Theatre?

I feel very blessed and weirdly very old when presented with any past roles. Whether good, bad or indifferent, I’m always astounded at how weird and wonderful all the jobs have been. There has always been some wonderful lesson or skill or hurdle that has had to be conquered.

How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?

I was always a bit of a show off as a kid. My brother and sister were the first people who pushed me into dancing classes as a kid. From there, I caught the bug of performing and watching live theatre. My dad is a London taxi driver, so I remember very vividly riding around in the West End looking at those beautiful buildings and thinking ‘what’s going on in there? I really want to see’.

What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?

There’s a host of amazing plays in London at the moment. I caught Stereophonic recently and was blown away. The same with Jez Butterworth’s The Hills of California. Amazing plays with such wonderful performances.

What do you enjoy doing away from your career?

I’m a tennis fanatic. It was always my other passion growing up. So I love playing and going to tournaments. I love cooking and reading whenever I can but inevitably, I’m still a theatre nerd at heart so going to watch movies and theatre whenever I can is always top of my list.

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