A PANTOMIME star from Ellesmere Port walked out of a production – because the organisers would not pay him.
John Garfield Roberts, 29, of Hardy Close, Great Sutton, had been treading the boards since December 10 as Captain Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington at Hartford’s Grange Theatre alongside X Factor contestant Rowetta as the evil Queen Rat and Andy Scott-Lee in the title role.
But John and five of his co-stars pulled out because production company Halle Productions had not been able to pay their weekly salary for nearly a month.
John began rehearsals on November 29 and was to be paid weekly.
But he said that after the first week of rehearsals some of the cast had been paid and some hadn’t.
He added: “They said the money’s there but we’ve had problems with internet banking and some of us hadn’t been paid. He used the excuse that Quay Tickets hadn’t released the money to them yet.
“The following week we were told he’d been told Quay Tickets were going to hold the money for another seven days.
“When the panto had been open a week and there was still no money the cast had a discussion.
“They agreed to pay each of us an individual fee. I decided, along with the rest of the cast, that if I hadn’t got my money by then we would walk because we’re never going to see our money.”
John, whose contract was worth £2,000, says that he, along with five other cast members and the musical director, could not continue because they had travel expenses to pay.
“After nearly a month of work and no fee I can’t continue, as much as I’d like to,” he said.
“We’ve had one excuse, another excuse, another excuse.
“It’s an absolute joke. On the performance side, I’ve loved every minute. It’s been an absolute blast seeing all the kids and families laughing at me being stupid on stage.
“There’s a huge weight gone from my shoulders but I would rather be on that stage.”
Punters who had paid up to £14 a ticket have been left disappointed after the organisers cancelled the show altogether.
Replacement actors arrived to take the place of John and his colleagues for one night only before the stuttering panto was abandoned on December 23 – two weeks before it was due to close.
John, originally from the Stanney Grange estate, has been acting since the age of 10. He attended Stanney High School and West Cheshire College before pursuing his dream of acting.
He has now instructed his solicitor to make a claim for wrongful dismissal.
A similar incident occurred at the production company’s other show in Hyde involving former Coronation Street star Les Battersby (Bruce Jones), who also walked out because he wasn’t paid.
