Caroline gives Wicked gift from wardrobe to panto's Evil Queen

Kirsty Blake Knox

NOT content with producing this year's Gaiety panto, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, MCD powerhouse Caroline Downey Desmond is lending a hand in the costume department.

Caroline (51) is decking out the Wicked Witch in threads from her very own wardrobe.

"I have this long red cape that the Evil Queen will be wearing," she said. "I wore it to my daughter Storm's 18th birthday party.

"It was designed by Ciaran Sweeney and has this amazing red hood, so I thought it would be perfect for the Wicked Witch.

"The director, Daryn Crosbie, said it will be destroyed by the end of the run, but it's been in my wardrobe for years, so why not?"

This is Caroline's second time producing the festive must-see.

"I'm delighted to be producing again," she said. "I dipped my toe into producing last year with Cinderella and absolutely loved it.

"Snow White is a classic, and I like that it's a female story. I think crowds will adore it."

Caroline is already in pre-production for her next show, a restaging of Brendan Behan's Borstal Boy, which she hopes to do later in the year.

"Obviously it will be very different to this," she said. "We're just looking for the right director and we'll take it from there."

This year's production of Snow White has Megan Cassidy in the lead role.

"I'm thrilled," the 23-year-old told the Herald. "I've always gone to the pantos in the Gaiety. To be the lead is a dream come true."

hnews@herald.ie