The very first pantomimes for 2024/25 open their doors over the weekend of 22 November, beginning a two-month season of family theatre visits to this joyous British institution and underrated theatre genre. It is an essential part of the celebrations as much a turkey dinner, present giving, Christmas carols and Father Christmas himself. Those traditions have been followed since Victorian times, but pantomime evolves to reflect society today and is a vital element in the continued financial sustainability of regional theatres across the country. The surpluses from the fifty plus performances support the venue activity for the rest of the year and provide some children with their first experiences of live performance. The magic of pantomime is the combination of familiar narratives, traditional comedy business, topical and local references, classic and recent musical choices, and familiar faces from previous years or our TV screens.

The very best plays always start with the script, and it is equally true for the writers of the annual pantomime. While it is undoubtedly true that the skeleton of the script remains the same, it is no longer - in our view - acceptable for the script to say “comic inserts business here” and then include a music hall style routine performed so many times before, or simply say “usual 12 Days of Christmas routine with a bra that was made for three”. Pantomime needs to evolve and innovate, to create an ensemble feel as the principals interact and make each performance feel a fresh joyous celebration of the genre.

The scripts of Paul Hendy for Evolution in places such as the Marlowe Canterbury, this year it will be Beauty and the Beast; Sheffield Lyceum, this year Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; or Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury, this year Sleeping Beauty; regularly attract nominations for the Pantomime Awards. Another reliable writer (and former excellent Dame) Eric Potts has a hand in many Imagine productions, winning a nomination for Best Script last year for Sleeping Beauty at Inverness and a very good script for the Wyvern in Swindon.  This year, Inverness is Jack and the Beanstalk and Swindon stages Cinderella. Another writing team that regularly impress is Plested, Brown and Wisher with their shows at the Corn Exchange in Newbury, this year Dick Whittington, and at Salisbury Playhouse with Sleeping Beauty. The Pantomime Awards in 2024 honoured Cinderella at The Theatre Chipping Norton with the Award for Achievement in Innovation with their production which relocated the traditional narrative to Latin America, celebrating the culture of carnival and addressing the challenge of deforestation. This fresh reinvention of the genre keeps it alive and evolving for new and old audiences. 

Another key feature of pantomime is the localisation of the storytelling connecting it to the community around the theatre. If you travel around the country to see shows, you recognise the narrative of the story but will find unique local interpretations and performances. The wonderful Hall for Cornwall in Truro is a perfect example of this where the Kernow King, Edward Rowe, will lead another Cornish retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk (this year directed by Joyce Branagh). Up in Scotland, the established stars of pantomime return with the Queen of Scottish Pantomime Elaine C Smith in Peter Pan at King’s Glasgow, and to the east, Allan Stewart continuing as Aunty May in Cinderella at the Festival theatre Edinburgh. Certain to be wonderful shows!

The relationship between the regular stars and the audience is an essential element of successful pantomime and they create a loyal return following who come with an expectation of what they will see from that star. Matt Slack returns once again to Birmingham Hippodrome in Peter Pan alongside Alison Hammond for a second year, with his own brand of comedy business. Expect to see a fresh lip sync routine and a pun run routine which, when wittily written and well delivered, are always show highlights. Danny Adams is now well established (with his father Clive Webb) as the clown in the Theatre Royal Newcastle pantomime, this year a new title Little Mermaid, and they have already announced that 2025 will be the first Crossroads Aladdin for many years. While in Reading at The Hexagon Justin Fletcher returns with his regular Dame, Paul Morse, in Cinderella, bringing a digital set to the venue for the first time. He aims his show firmly at the young family audience who know him as Mr Tumble on CBeebies and it is a perfect first visit to the theatre for a young family. 

At the opposite end of the scale and showing the breadth of productions that the genre covers are two London shows. London Palladium returns with Robin Hood starring the outrageous adult comedy of Julian Clary. His brilliant comic timing and acerbic put downs will once again dominate the show as he minces on and off the stage in stunning costumes and his audiences love it. The production values are amazing for this show but then they also have ticket prices to match, with rear Royal Circle seats priced at £110. For an equally adult pantomime experience is Peter Pan, which is sitting on top of the Stranger Things set at the Phoenix Theatre on Monday nights in December; the fourth drag panto from TuckShop which promises to follow Peter as he humps his way around Neverland, and although their rear Dress Circle seats are just £45, their top prices are still £115. 

The importance of pantomime to the regional venues can also been seen in recent news stories. The glorious Oldham Coliseum, which used to be one of the first pantomimes to open each season, closed in March 2023 but thanks for a strong local campaign will reopen in time for the 2025 pantomime after an absence of two years. The Hayes Beck pantomime of Aladdin will open on 13 December, but the venue is currently due to shut when the show closes on 5 January 2025 as the local council have declined to support the venue in a long-term commitment of funding for outreach and repairs. It remains to be seen whether a local campaign can save this venue too.  The discovery of RACC at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford closed that venue for repairs but the wonderful Council here, recognising the economic and social benefits of a community venue, funded the construction of temporary Orchard West where last year’s pantomime Beauty and Beast was successfully staged, and this year Sleeping Beauty where BGT winner Sydnie Christmas will lead the cast. At Theatre Clywd in Mold, Mother Goose, written by Christian Patterson, will be staged in the redeveloped main theatre having staged last year’s Sleeping Beauty in a temporary Big Top.

If you are looking for star casting to decide your booking, then the legendary Christopher Biggins is joined by Sooty at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking in Sleeping Beauty, and he promises to repeat his hilarious interruption of “If I Were Not Upon The Stage” which was so successful in Southampton last year. Vernon Kay returns to Wycombe Swan in Aladdin and promises to cause mayhem with his ad libs. Another radio star who has enjoyed a good year is Scott Mills in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Swansea Grand with the fabulous Welsh Dame, Kev Johns. Basil Brush is back at Theatre Royal Windsor in Dick Whittington. Todd Carty from Eastenders fame joins CBeebies star Chris Jarvis in Poole for Sleeping Beauty. Perhaps the most eye-catching casting this year is Katie Price and Kerry Katona in Cinderella at the Northwich Memorial Hall.

Wherever you live in the UK , there is a pantomime or two within a twenty-minute drive and we urge you to support your local theatre and book to enjoy the wonderful unique British institution that pantomime is. Christmas would not be the same without it.

Nick Wayne