Now’s the time to book your panto tickets, says Dorset’s panto expert Gay Pirrie-Weir – they often sell out, and some start this month
Theatres around the country are getting ready for their biggest event of the year, the pantomime. It’s a peculiarly English tradition and it has an important dual purpose – of introducing young people to the excitement of live theatre and of selling enough tickets over the intensive period around the Christmas and New Year holidays to finance other less popular shows during the rest of the year.
Often families leave the show one year so delighted and richly entertained that they book almost immediately for the panto 12 months on – no matter what the story. There are a handful of familiar tales and time-honoured set piece routines. There is audience participation – something some people used to dread, but seem to embrace with noisy enthusiasm in all sorts of shows these days.
There are always lots of matinees, some in the mornings as well as afternoons, catering for all the family. Look out for men in frocks, villains to hiss, songs to sing, heroes to cheer, and lots of silly fun.
Your local options
This year’s shows in Dorset (and immediately over the borders into Somerset and Wiltshire, start with Salisbury Playhouse’s Sleeping Beauty, from 30th November to 12th January.
Jack and the Beanstalk is the show at Bournemouth Pavilion, from 7th December to 5th January, and the cast includes Calum Lill, David Ribi, Rachel Grundy and Oliver Brooks.
There is a second Sleeping Beauty at Poole Lighthouse, from 12th December to 5th January, starring local favourite Chris Jarvis with Eastenders’ and Spamalot’s Todd Carty.
Doubling up again, Yeovil will be staging Jack and the Beanstalk at Westlands, with a new company including Mark Lamb, Lizzie Bea, Alana Robinson, Daniel Page, Kevin James, Georgie Macaskil and dancer/choreographer James Bamford. Jack will be climbing from 13th December to 5th January.
The third telling of the story of Jack and his magic beans comes at Southampton Mayflower where Ashley Banjo and Diversity join in the fun from 14th December to 5th January.
On the same dates at Wimborne’s Tivoli, you can see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Weymouth Pavilion has Peter Pan for the shortest run from 20th December to 5th January.
The “big star” shows this year are well to the west – head to Plymouth for Lesley Joseph and Rob Rinder in another Snow White at Theatre Royal. The hotel-visiting former judge is the Voice of the Mirror from 13th December to 11th January. Meanwhile, Brian Conley and his daughter Lucy are joining David Robbins in Goldilocks and the Three Bears at Bristol Hippodrome from 7th December to 5th January.
