GLOBE columnist Peter Grant meets a new superhero ...

WE'VE ALL heard of Wonder Woman - Russ Abbot's Blunder Woman and Cat Woman - now comes a soaring star.

But you ain't heard or seen anything like her before.  . .

Meet SuperBooty!

The crazy character is flying into the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool next week for three days of funky, family fun.

And yes, she really flies.

It's a new musical comedy created by writer, actor and director, Michael Chapman. 

Michael, who has lived in New Brighton for 18 years, is a dab hand when it comes to playing wacky women but, he tells me: "I've never actually seen a panto. I'm usually in one".

Oh, yes you have, I say to the man sitting opposite me looking a million miles away from the panto persona of widow Twankey and other daft dames.

But no he hasn't.

Michael's comic inspirations comes from the classic sit-coms Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Porridge, Fawlty Towers and Tommy Cooper with a bit of Twin Peaks influences from American director David Lynch.

In the past Michael has written a black comedy called The Moving Cactus performed at Liverpool's Actors' Studio a few years ago.

SuperBooty, his crazy creative baby, is more mainstream, real frenetic family fun with words and music by Michael.

Mr C's panto technique is instinctive and anyone who has seen him perform over the years will know his well-paced performances tick all the boxes.

SuperBooty is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary gift.

And Mr C has put together a strong cast to tell the tale.

The line-up includes Britain's Got Talent 2016 finalist Boogie Storm's Lewis Pryor, Liverpool singer Hayley Hampson BBC's Young Dancer of the Year finalist, Harry Popper and the award-winning Anamal Dance Company from Hoylake.

Having written many pantos over the years and played the dame countless times this is as pure Michael Chapman non-panto production.

While taking a break from rehearsals this week Michael told the Globe: "I've written loads of 'fringe'-type shows over the years - small scale stuff. SuperBooty is the first show I've written for such a big cast.

"It's about a clumsy, slightly overweight, naughty superhero who has a tendency to mess everything up but somehow she manages to inspire the belief in people that anything is possible.

"Oh, and she can fly!"

Father-of-three Michael conjured up the SuperBooty character a couple of years ago when he was working on Jack and the Beanstalk at the Epstein.

He said: "There was a problem with the 'killing of the giant' scene so I came up with the idea that Jack's Mum would come on as a dodgy superhero and save the day.

"She was only on stage for two minutes but, she received a fantastic reaction.

"People were writing in to the theatre asking if she would be in the  next panto. So, I wrote a show all about her."

Michael's fellow panto performers; Wirral based Lesley Butler and Lewis Pryor, star in the show which sees the baddie, Dr Demeanour (played by Lesley), turn little innocent children into an army of strawberry-blonde ninjas and devise a plan to take over the world.

SuperBooty and her son, Anti-Freeze (played by Pryor), join forces to foil that plan...

Panto stalwart Tom Burroughs plays Keith, the owner of an embarrassingly-bad dance school.

Hayley Hampson stars as his daughter, Michelle. Harry Barnes (aka incredible dancer Harry Popper) plays the science project gone wrong, Frank Funkenstein.

Danny Burns plays Cliff, a deluded contemporary dance choreographer and Katie Cross is a time traveller.

There is also some very funky music courtesy of Michael and Danny Smith, the musical director.

Anna Malone and Danny Smith move the funky stuff in the choreography department.

SuperBooty is, he says,  a feel good factor show - and like all super heroes and heroines - it's about good putting the boot into evil.

"Oh don't forget to mention that we really will be flying in the Epstein," says Michael.

Superbooty is at the Epstein from February 17 to 19 (including weekend matinees). Tickets from the box office on 0844 888 4411 or www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk