It’s nearing that time of year again when it’s time to dust dust off the glass slippers and hitch a ride on a magic carpet to a venue near you
Scotland will soon be awash with giant beanstalks, golden egg-laying geese and evil baddies, as panto season comes to town. Theatres across the country are gearing up for festive favourites such as Mother Goose, Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldilocks and The Three Bears. Some of the country’s best known performers are taking to the stage, including stars of River City and Scot Squad and veteran stage stars, alongside impressive new faces and emerging young talent. The fun kicks off at the end of November, with many shows running until early January. Here is our selection of highly-anticipated shows which are booking now...
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, BEACON ARTS CENTRE, GREENOCK
December 7 to 31, beaconartscentre.co.uk
It feels like a long way from Craiglang to Inverstrone but accomplished actors Jane McCarry and Mark Cox are making light work of the journey. The Still Game stars, who played Isa and Tam, are returning to the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock for this year’s fee-fi-fo-fun of a panto, Jack and the Beanstalk. It is a giant of a show, full of fun for the whole family, with a very Inverclyde twist on the classic fairy tale about a boy, some beans and a very big bloke.
The duo will be joined by River City’s Jimmy Chisholm, along with Lee Samuel, Shannon Swan and Sam Willison. This year’s Beacon Arts spectacular is being produced in-house for the third year in a row – previous successes have put the venue firmly on the pantoland map, cementing it as a must-see Christmas show and a highlight on the Inverclyde cultural calendar. Last year was a record-breaking one for the Beacon’s panto, with more than 17,500 audience members coming to see the show, and it drew rave reviews from critics across the country. This Christmas, audiences will be transported to the magical land of Inverstrone, where the giant Greedyguts plans to destroy the kingdom if Dame Trot does not give him her precious cow, Moomoo.
This is just the adventure that Dame Trot’s daredevil daughter, Jack, has been waiting for. She swears to find a way up to Cloudland to defeat the Giant, and the evil sorceress Voldemorra and her hapless henchman Snotbag, and save Inverstrone. But how? Did somebody say, ‘magic beans’…..? Join in cheering the goodies and booing the baddies and remember that all may not be as it seems….
The 2024 run gets underway on Saturday, December 7, and there will be multiple performances running over the festive period until Hogmanay. Group discounts are available and there will be special shows taking place for local schoolchildren. The Beacon is committed to making the pantomime accessible to all, with British Sign Language and relaxed performances being planned, free tickets for disabled companions, and wheelchair access throughout the venue.
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS, AYRSHIRE ATHLETICS ARENA
November 22 – December 29 eastayrshireleisure.com
The annual festive treat that is the Palace panto is moving temporarily to a custom-built, 500-seater, heated Big Top at Ayrshire Athletics Arena, while the Kilmarnock Theatre is undergoing refurbishment. Roll up, roll up with the gang for a unique experience, and a delightfully wacky twist on a traditional story, created by East Ayrshire Leisure Trust and Imagine Theatre.
Things are not going well at Dundonald’s Circus, where Dame Dolly, the circus owner, needs a spectacular new act to bring in bigger audiences. However, her rival Roger Von Riccarton’s circus has the money to attract all the big, breathtaking acts.
Goldilocks, the circus acrobat, goes for a woodland walk between shows and discovers the cutest cottage in a clearing. Who could live here? Why are there three of everything? Has she discovered the home of the three dancing bears? Bears who are desperate to show their dancing moves to the world……? Starring Andrew Agnew, Balamory’s PC Plum, as Dame Dolly, alongside Gary Morrison as Donald Dundonald, James McAnerney as Roger Riccarton and Craig McDougall as Scott the Ringmaster, the show also features Ailsa Erskine as Goldilocks. As if all the jokes, zaniness, wild costumes and daft storylines are not enough, this panto will also include a professional circus act, adding to the Big Top experience. This is panto with bells on…
Last year’s Killie panto was nominated for two UK Pantomime Association Awards and the 2024 show will reunite the same creative team, including producer Imagine Theatre, celebrating their 21st year as the creators of the Palace show. The script has been written by award-winning Eric Potts, the Ayrshire-born Palace regular. For the first time outside a major city in the UK, Imagine Theatre will use their ground-breaking digital technology to present the show on hi-tech screens augmenting traditional panto content and staging. The audience will be whisked digitally from scene to scene using the latest animation techniques, which have left other Imagine audiences amazed and enchanted.
The run will include relaxed and BSL performances.
MOTHER GOOSE, GAIETY THEATRE, AYR
November 22 – January 4 thegaiety.co.uk
Mother Goose is a good egg, the most giving of souls – salt of the earth and kind to a fault – she would give you her last ha’penny if you needed it. But when her faultless generosity lands her neck deep in the stinking proverbial, it will take a touch of eggs-ellent panto magic to save her Ayrshire bacon. In these tough times who could turn down a goose that lays golden eggs?
But will it really help her, or will it set her down a path towards eggs-treme greed and vanity? You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs after all…
Written by Fraser Boyle and Ken Alexander, who were responsible for the Gaiety’s 2023 five-star smash hit Cinderella, this sensational show also stars Fraser as one of panto’s most famous dames, Mother Goose. There is bound to be a last-minute scramble for tickets, so don’t miss out…
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, THE ALHAMBRA, DUNFERMLINE
December 6 to 28, alhambradunfermline.com
The famous Alhambra panto returns, and this time, audiences will be transported to the wonderful world of Jack and the Beanstalk. Legendary performer Ian ‘Sheepie” Smith stars alongside Gayle Telfer Stevens, famous for her roles in River City and The Dolls, in this traditional-tale-with-a-panto-twist.
Something huge is coming to Dunfermline this Christmas, and this dazzling, immersive, family-friendly show promises fun and laughter for all ages (and perhaps even a sweetie or two.) n
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