A PANTO Princess will be swapping flying carpets for high kicks as she moves straight to rehearsals for a one-off charity show.

Beth Stobbart, from Darlington, has spent five weeks starring in Aladdin at Darlington Civic Theatre but will return to amateur theatre group Darlington OS without a break to prepare for her next performance.

Darlington OS will perform a special gala edition of their Strictly Musicals show, which performed to sell-out crowds in October – on January 18 at the Civic Theatre in support of the charity fund organised by Darlington Mayor Charles Johnson.

Miss Stobbart was a lead cast member in Stictly Musicals, which features the best song and dance routines from Broadway and West End shows, and has returned to rehearsals to prepare for the show.

She said: “It’s a great honour for us to be asked to present this show for the Mayor as part of his fund-raising. The entire cast has been looking forward to it throughout the Christmas break and have stepped straight back into rehearsals as if they have never been away.

“Having been so busy performing in the pantomime I have had less time to revise the dance routines but I’m sure it will all come flooding back to me once I get back into it.”

Tickets for Strictly Musicals – The Mayor’s Gala are priced between £15 and £17 and are available from the Civic Theatre box office on 01325-486555.