WHAT’S ON: PANTOS AND CHRISTMAS SHOWS
÷ The Gaiety Panto traditionally kicks off the season and it opens today with Robin Hood and his Merry Men, until January 8. Ph 0818 719 388, gaietytheatre.ie. Tickets from €19.50. ÷ The Ark in Temple Bar will stage a playful adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol. Starring Bryan Burroughs and Love/Hate’s Ian-Lloyd Anderson, the 45-minute production features just these two actors who re-tell the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge using just their physical and vocal skills, and with the aid of numerous hats, scarves, and lights. December 2-January 6. Ph 01 6707788, ark.ie. Tickets €12, conc €9, schools €5, recommended for age seven years plus). ÷ Al Porter (right) stars in The Ugly Sisters and Yer Wan at The Olympia, December 16-January 18. Ph 0818 719 330, olympia.ie. Tickets from €34. ÷ Angelina Jolie gave the classic tale new life with her recent movie Maleficent, now Draiocht in Blanchardstown will stage a version of Sleeping Beauty The Panto, produced by Coolmine Panto Group. (January 6-22). Ph 01 8852622, draiocht.ie, Tickets €20, €17 conc. ÷ Anyone who grew up in the 1980s will enjoy a trip down memory lane at Bosco’s Magical Christmas with Hansel and Gretel, at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght. This production by the Lambert Puppet Theatre features large puppets and colourful sets, and of course a star turn from everyone’s favourite redhead (right). Duration is one hour, and suitability is age three plus. December 29, 12pm and 3pm. Ph 01 4627477, civictheatre. ie. Tickets €10, €35 for a family of four). The same production takes place at The Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, on December 18 at 2pm and 4pm. Ph 01 2312929, paviliontheatre.ie, Tickets €8, €30 family. ÷ It’s not a panto, but Mary Poppins is as much Christmas entertainment as anything that requires us to shout “he’s behind you”. The Pavilion in Dun Laoghaire will host a screening of Julie Andrews’s classic on December 3 at 1.30pm. Tickets €7.50, €6.50 conc, child €5, family €20. For something of a more recent vintage, the Elf will screen on December 17 at 2pm. paviliontheatre.ie ÷ The Mill Theatre in Dundrum will stage Jack and The Beanstalk, written and directed by Geoff O’Keeffe, from December 7-31. Ph 01 2969340, milltheatre.ie, Tickets adults €15, children under 12 €12, family of four €50. ÷ For something a little less jazz hands, The Abbey Theatre is staging the epic Russian drama Anna Karenina. This is a new version of Leo Tolstoy’s work by Marina Carr, directed by one of Irish theatre’s brightest stars, Wayne Jordan. December 7-January 28. Ph 01 8787222, abbeytheatre.ie. Tickets €13-€45, conc €13-€25. ÷ Bachelor’s Walk alumnus Simon Delaney is the narrator in the National Concert Hall’s version of where an orchestra will accompany a screening of Raymond Briggs’s classic (left) on the big screen. December 16-18. There are numerous performances daily. nch.ie. Tickets from €17. The Snowman ÷ The National Concert Hall also stages A Christmas Festival on Tuesday from 8pm. The Rathfarnham Concert Band and guest choirs will perform traditional music from the screen and stage. Tickets €15, concession €10. nch.ie ÷ Ballet Ireland is touring The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky’s classic story begins on Christmas Eve and the unfolding tale of magic and wonderment will be enjoyed by all ages. For dates and locations visit balletireland.ie. ÷ Big is one of the classic 1980s movies and among Tom Hanks’s best. This year the Bord Gais Energy Theatre stages the European premiere of Big The Musical. December 8-January 7. Ph 01 6777999, bordgaisenergytheatre. ie. Tickets €15-€65. The Bord Gais Energy Theatre also hosts a production of The Snowman from December 11-18 and productions of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty from Moscow City Ballet in January. ÷ Limerick Panto Society returns to the Lime Tree Theatre in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick for the fifth year in a row. This year the production is Snow White. December 28-January 8. Ph 061 953400, limetreetheatre.ie.
÷ The University Concert Hall in Limerick is staging Beauty and the Beast
which, in light of the new Disney version due out in March, is set to be the story of the season. December 19-January 8. Ph 061 331549, uch.ie. Tickets from €15. ÷ In Cork, the Cork Opera House and New Ireland Assurance Panto presents Cinderella (December 1-January 22). Ph 021 4270022, corkoperahouse.ie. Tickets from €25. The Everyman hosts Red Riding
Hood (December 10-January 8). Ph 021 4501673, everymancork.com. Tickets from €26, It will also
host the Everyman Sunday Songbook, which features traditional Christmas numbers and the songs of Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Bob Hope, among others, on December 11 at 7.30pm. Tickets €25. ÷ The Renmore pantomime society in Galway performs Little Red
Riding Hood at the Town Hall Theatre. December 30-January 15. Ph 091 569777, tht.ie. ÷ The Helix Panto Christmas 2016 has already begun: Aladdin (above left) runs until January 22. A sensory friendly performance will be presented on December 8 at 6.30pm. Ph 01 7007000, helix.ie. Tickets from €19.50.