Theatre calls off new King Arthur panto as large show ‘not viable’

THE Roses theatre in Tewkesbury has cancelled its annual pantomime because of the pandemic.

King Arthur: The Panto! will be postponed until next year.

The show was written especially for the theatre by Maurice Gran, the award-winning creator of Birds of a Feather and Dreamboats and Petticoats. It will be replaced with a two-man version of A Christmas Carol, written by local actor-director Nick Wilkes.

Jessica Brewster, The Roses’ director, said: “Covid-19 precautions only allow us to use 40 per cent of our seats, which means it would not be financially viable for us to stage a large panto, and we must also put the safety of our audiences, volunteers, staff and artists at the heart of our decisions.

“I am delighted we have been able to replace the panto with Nick Wilkes’ heart-warming, funny and very Christmassy alternative, to ensure there is Covid-proof family fun for the people of Tewkesbury.”

The Roses’ panto generates 25 per cent of its annual income. Its loss puts further pressure on the business, which has been closed for over five months due to Covid-19. The venue has made an application for £250,000 to the Arts Council’s Cultural Recovery Fund, to help sustain it.

Theatre chairman Geoffrey Rowe said: “We are hugely disappointed that we are unable to stage King Arthur this Christmas, particularly after an extremely difficult year for theatre and the arts. This new show was crammed full of traditional panto gags combined with the wit and humour Maurice is famous for.

“We look forward to bringing it back bigger and messier next year. However, Nick’s adaptation of Dickens’ classic will lift our spirits after the challenges of this very trying time.”

Tickets will soon be on sale for A Christmas Carol, and details of autumn films and 2021 live shows will also soon be revealed.