Former Labour leader is the Wizard of Oz-lington

Jeremy Corbyn is to star in pantomime.

The former Labour leader who’s now the independent Islington North MP will play the Wizard of Oz-lington in a ‘gloriously camp’ show inspired by Wicked.

The show at the Pleasance Theatre – just outside Corbyn’s North London constituency – stars  drag artist Gigi Zahir as witch Adelphaba and Eleanor Burke as Kelly Oz-Born.

He told the BBC: ‘The Pleasance has been at the heart of our community for 30 years, and local theatre like this deserves our support."

‘Panto brings people together - it's fun, inclusive and a brilliant celebration of creativity. It’s a pleasure to conjure up a little festive magic with the Pleasance in their 30th year. Local theatre is where the real wizardry happens - sparking imagination and spreading a bit of joy.’

His appearance will be on screen rather than in person, with the Plesance noting: 'It won’t be the first time Corbyn has faced boos and cheers in equal measure - but this time, it’s all part of the panto fun.'

The blurb for the show reads: ‘Twenty years after that fateful trip over the rainbow, Dor is dragged back to the Borough of Oz-lington by a surprise snowstorm, where she reunites with her OG squad (featuring a glow-up Tin 2.0) to try and save Christmas.

‘It's the classic characters you know and love... but like you've never seen them before!’ 

There will be two versions of the production, one aimed at adults only and another for all ages, which will run between November 18 and December 28.

It is written and directed by Shane ShayShay Konno, an Irish-Japanese-American non-binary writer, director and drag artist who co-founded the Pan-Asian queer artist collective The Bitten Peach.

Rosanna Suppa plays Dor; Lew Ray plays Tin 2.0 and Nick MacDuff is the Scarecrow.

Published: 28 Oct 2025