Sequins at the ready for panto stars

In a hot little room in the depths of the Birmingham Hippodrome panto season is well under way.

The feathers are flying, the men are in skirts and everyone is strangely excited. Most excited of all is Tony Priestly, wardrobe supervisor for this year's production of Robin Hood, which is due to be staged in just over a week.

His brief: to camp up the costumes. Add a few more frills and sequins, shorten the hem of Don Maclean's French maid dress and order in flashy feathered headdresses from glitzy Blackpool.

Tony was born into theatre. His mother was an opera singer with D'Oyly Carte and he landed his first acting job when he was just nine playing the son of Albert Finney's Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.

After that he appeared in chorus lines across the West End before declaring it all 'madness' and signing up to a costume course.

"Darling, I got my first job on a show called Rip Off at the Windmill Theatre and I only lasted two weeks," he said.

"They spent the whole show ripping off their clothes, I spent all my time buying velcro and I just thought, well I didn't do three years of training to dress a nude show."

His office, the Hippodrome's wardrobe department, is a colourful mish-mash of outfits, wigs and headdress. A troupe of male acrobats are standing in their pants waiting to get fitted into green velour leggings, with matching bootees and floaty sleeves, and a rat – man sized – strolls past the door on the way to the stage to dance in The Nutcracker which is currently mid show. He is followed by an Egyptian.

Tony holds court, regaling tales of a life in showbiz, Debbie Reynolds chasing him around a stage with a $100 bill, feeding Michael Crawford honey, and high kicks with John Barrowman.

After his brief stint at The Windmill Tony, originally from Nottingham, began working with Cameron Mackintosh, firstly on My Fair Lady at the Adelphi before working with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman on the first ever Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre.

He has also worked on the Strictly Come Dancing stage show and his little black book of former colleagues includes stars from Rod Hull and his three emus to Sheila Ferguson of The Three Degrees.

Robin Hood, with John Barrowman in the title role, has a cast of 28, yet there are 300 costumes, all of which need to be fitted and adapted, and fixed onto the performers in a series of quick changes in the wings, which is Tony's job.

"I love this job, it's like playing in a really big dressing up box. We've got fabulous dresses worth thousands which look absolutely amazing on stage. I love all the opulence with the gems and the sequins."

He added: "I was told to camp it up. We've got this Spamalot spoof and all the men are doing high kicks and flip flaps in a circle around John, it's fabulous darling."

Appearing alongside John is Paul Zerdin, as Will Scarlet together with his friend Sam, the ventriloquist dummy, and Don Maclean will take on the role of Friar Tuck.

Robin Hood – The Pantomime Adventure runs from December 19 to February 1. Call the box office on 0844 338 5000.