Never mind the TV has-beens — these pantos have pizzazz
Our unmissable guide to the best Xmas shows near you
BELFAST
SLEEPING BEAUTY
WHERE? Grand Opera eouse, 2-4 Great sictoria Street, Belfast BT2 Teo E02U V024 1V1VX goh.co.ukF. WHEN? Until January 1V. STAR ATTRACTIONS? May Mccettridge and iorraine Chase.
BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? Gap-toothed, plain-speaking Belfast housewife May Mccettridge Ealso known as John iinehanF is now into his second decade as Northern I r el and’s pantodame supreme. Ulster’s answer to Australia’s Dame bdna and Dublin’s Mrs Brown, this year Mrs Mccettridge plays Sleeping Beauty’s fairy godmother nueen May, saving Beauty from the wicked fairy played by the cockney girl from the Campari ads, iorraine Chase.
TICKETS? £1R.R0-£2S.R0.
BIRMINGHAM SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS WHERE? eippodrome, eurst St, Birmingham BR 4TB E0U44 33U R000X birminghamhiééodrome.comF. WHEN? Until cebruary 2. STAR ATTRACTIONS? John Partridge, Gok tan, Stephanie Beacham, Gary tilmot, Paul werdin and Danielle eope. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? One of the starriest pantos of the season with more ego per square inch than a Premier ieague dressing room. John Partridge Ebastbnders’ ChristianF is the handsome Prince hoping to pull Danielle eope as Snow thite. But first he’s going to have to see off former Dynasty diva Stephanie Beacham as the ticked Stepmother.
sentriloquist Paul werdin pops in alongside Gary tilmot as the everupstaging Dame. cashion guru Gok tan plays the Man In The Mirror. iet’s hope that he doesn’t persuade Stephanie she looks good starkers — it’s a family show! TICKETS? £12-£3V.
CARDIFF JACK & THE BEANSTALK WHERE? New Theatre, Park Place, Cardiff Cc10 3iN E02V 20UT UTUTX newtheatre cardiff.co.ukF. WHEN? Until January 1V. STAR ATTRACTION? Julian Clary. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? eeadmistress-of-camp Julian Clary is the Spirit Of The Beans, helping Dan Burton’s Jack deal with the very mean giant at the top of the beanstalk and save his village. This year’s panto dame is Carmarthenborn comedian Mike Doyle, who’s so experienced he even won Opportunity Knocks back in the bighties Eperhaps that’s Opportunity Knockers here thoughF. TICKETS? £10.R0-£2U.R0.
GLASGOW DICK WHITTINGTON WHERE? Clyde Auditorium, SbCC, bxhibition tay, Glasgow G3 UYt E0U44 3VR 4000X ticketsoué.comF. WHEN? Until January R. STAR ATTRACTIONS? John Barrowman and The Krankies. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? John Barrowman and the Krankies are back again Eoh yes they are!F. The evergreen, Glasgow-born Barrowman marks his fourth SbCC panto as ‘young’ Dick to one of Scotland’s oldest double acts — the husband and wife Krankies. Between the three of them, the plan is to give t he iondon- c entric show a distinctly tartan flavour. Bagpipes not Bow bells? candabidozi! TICKETS? £13-£2U.R0.
HULL
JACK & THE BEANSTALK WHERE? eull New Theatre, Kingston Square, eull eU1 3ec E014U2 22S SRRX hullcc.gov.ukL hullnewtheatreF WHEN? Until January R. STAR ATTRACTIONS? Christopher Biggins, Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? Pantodame royalty Christopher Biggins this year makes his way to the 201T City of Culture to give us his Dame Trot. cormer Tiswas favourite Bob Carolgees and his ventriloquised dog Spit are on hand as carmer Bob and his faithful companion. iet’s hope Spit doesn’t decide to keep the beanstalk watered! TICKETS? £1S.R0-£24.R0. LIVERPOOL
PETER PAN WHERE? bmpire, iime Street, iiverpool i1 1Jb E01R1 T02 T320X liveréooleméire.org.ukF WHEN? Until January R. STAR ATTRACTIONS? oay nuinn and iouis bmerick. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? Dancing On Ice winner and iiverpool lad oay nuinn stars as the flying boy who never grows up. Alongside him is his real-life wife bmma Stephens as tendy — so perhaps they’ll be taking baby earry to Neverland, too. Juice cM’s ieanne Campbell is Tiger iily, and iouis bmerick EMick Johnson from BrooksideF will be your scurvy Captain eook until he walks the plank and feeds the crocodile. TICKETS? £13.R0-20.R0.
LONDON
DICK WHITTINGTON WHERE? Theatre ooyal, Stratford bast, Gerry oaffles Square, iondon b1R 1BN E020 UR34 0310X stratfordeast.comF WHEN? Until January 11. STAR ATTRACTIONS? Delroy Atkinson, Michael Bertenshaw, Ashley Gerlach and Tony Jayawardena. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? One of the best-priced and best performed pantos in iondon, Dick is very much on home turf. It falls to Ashley Gerlach to make it as Mayor Dick with Tony Jayawardena as his ‘ Cool Cat’ up against old hand Michael Bertenshaw as the dastardly King oat.
Michael normally dons the panto dame’s giant frocks, but this year he’s surrendering his w-cup role to Delroy Atkinson as Dame Cook. TICKETS? £R.R0-£23.R0.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
JACK & THE BEANSTALK WHERE? Theatre ooyal, 100 Grey Street, Newcastle Nb1 SBo E0U44 U11 2121X theatreroyal.co.ukF WHEN? Until January 1U. STAR ATTRACTIONS? Chris eayward, Clive tebb and Danny Adams. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? Chris eayward l eads the charge as Dame oita Trot, deafening us all with his catchphraseW ‘eello my bonny bairns!’
cather and son duo Clive tebb as carmer Trott and Danny Adams as Jack star in their ninth panto at the Theatre ooyal.
tith Newcastle’s own sicky eall as the fairy and Daisy tood-Davis as Jack’s beautiful princess, this is surely the gaudiest, Geordiest of all pantos with a 3D tour of the giant’s kitchen in the second half. TICKETS? £S.R0-£31.
NOTTINGHAM
JACK & THE BEANSTALK WHERE? Nottingham Playhouse, tellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 R Ac E011R V41 V41VX nottinghamélayhouse.co.ukF WHEN? Until January 1U. STAR ATTRACTION? Kenneth Alan Taylor. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? One of the longest serving Dames in one of the country’s trustiest pantos, Kenneth Alan Taylor is finally bowing out f or the l ast time after 30 years in an unfeasibly
large bra. ee’s been saying it since 1VV1, but just to make sure he really does walk, Nottingham Council’s festive gift is cutting 100 per cent of the theatre’s grant. So there’s a great big bad villain to boo as well. TICKETS? £20-£2T.R0.
PLYMOUTH
ROBIN HOOD WHERE? Theatre ooyal, ooyal Parade, Plymouth, Pi1 2To E01TR2 2ST 222X theatreroyal.comF WHEN? Until January 2R. STAR ATTRACTIONS? Nigel eavers, Bobby Davro and iee Mead. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? cloppyhaired Nigel eavers i s the supersmooth Sheriff of Nottingham, with musical theatre actor iee Mead as his bright-eyed nemesis oobin. Impressionist Bobby Davro takes on till Scarlet, and Jeffrey eolland Eei-Deei!F is Sherwood corest’s pantodame, Nurse Tilly Tick. TICKETS? £V-£30.
SOUTHAMPTON ROBINSON CRUSOE & THE CARIBBEAN PIRATES WHERE? The Mayflower Theatre, Commercial ooad, Southampton SO1R 1Gb E023U0 T11U11X mayflower.org.ukF WHEN? Until January 12. STAR ATTRACTIONS? Brian Conley, iesley Joseph. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? Ts presenter and funny man Brian Conley is washed ashore as oobinson Crusoe in the Mayflower’s timber-shivering panto. iesley Joseph is the very spangly enchantress of the ocean, helping Brian deal with till Blackheart as the murderous pirate as well as a gigantic monster from the sea. TICKETS? £ 1R. 0R-£ 3T. S3 Eincluding booking feeF.
WIMBLEDON ALADDIN WHERE? New timbledon Theatre, V3 The Broadway, iondon St1V 1nG E0U44 UT1T S4SX atgtickets.comF WHEN? Until January 12. STAR ATTRACTIONS? Jo Brand and Matthew Kelly. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? Jo Brand makes her panto debut as the always grumpy Spirit Of The oing. Matthew Kelly is tidow Twankey, and the marvellously buff Oliver Thornton is Aladdin. Street dancers clawless, who were finalists in Britain’s Got Talent in 200V, provide the very springy Peking Police corce. Jo Brand fans should note that she won’t be there for the January 4 or 11 performances. TICKETS? £11.V0-£4T.40.
YORK
ALADDIN AND THE TWANKEYS WHERE? Theatre ooyal, St ieonards Place, York YO1 TeD E01V04 S23 RSUX www.yorktheatreroyal.co.ukF WHEN? Until cebruary 1. STAR ATTRACTION? Berwick Kaler. BIG FAT FESTIVE BILLING? ee’s built like a medieval blacksmith and has a sense of humour to match, which makes Berwick Kaler the undisputed Panto King of the North. ee returns for his 3Rth panto in York, writing, directing, improvising and yanking up the twin zeppelins strapped to his chest in the guise of tidow Twankey. bee by gum he’ll be magic! TICKETS? £10-2S.R0.