Snow White offered all that you expect and more from Panto: slapstick humour, innuendos and wonderful musical numbers. One of which was of course Chesney Hawkes’ performance of his Number 1 hit, ‘One and Only’ which had the entire audience up on their feet.
‘Biggest, boldest, glitziest panto in London’: DICK WHITTINGTON – West End ★★★★
Following critical and commercial success with last year’s Cinderella, QDOS Entertainment has again invested millions to make Dick Whittington the biggest, boldest and glitziest pantomime on the London circuit with what looks like a degree of overkill, taking a sledgehammer to crush a rat perhaps.
ONCE UPON A SNOWFLAKE – Chelsea Theatre ❄❄❄
The festive fare at Chelsea Theatre this year comes courtesy of Paper Balloon, as they bring an alternative theatrical treat to the stage. It’s aimed primarily at young families.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL – London Musical Theatre Orchestra ❄❄❄❄❄
Michael Xavier and Tobias Ungleson make a terrific Bob and Tiny Tim team, with the latter showing all the hallmarks of being a scene-stealer of the future!
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Fitzrovia Radio Hour – Spiegeltent, Leicester Square ❄❄❄❄❄
There are some really quite ingenious methods of creating the required sound effects – a particular favourite has to be Gretchen using rubber gloves, dipped in water, to push along an inflated balloon for the sound of Marley’s face ‘growing’ out of the door knocker.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Fitzrovia Radio Hour – Spiegeltent, Leicester Square ❄❄❄❄❄
There are some really quite ingenious methods of creating the required sound effects – a particular favourite has to be Gretchen using rubber gloves, dipped in water, to push along an inflated balloon for the sound of Marley’s face ‘growing’ out of the door knocker.
A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Christmas Round Robin Letters – Hope Theatre
A sadness that is at first unspoken, then as the letters they read take a poignant turn – revealing a year’s worth of bad news in some cases – their melancholy bleeding out to force them to reflect on their own lives, their own experiences. At just an hour, this is done with a light touch but still manages a gut-punching level of emotion.
THE LOST BOY PETER PAN – Pleasance Theatre ❄❄❄
What has also changed in the process of the show’s development is its running time; for reasons I can’t understand, an interval has been added in.
CINDERELLA – Edinburgh ★★★★
Shona Reppe’s puppet version of Cinderella at the Traverse Theatre until Christmas Eve is a thing of airy, subtle wonder. The familiar fairy story is told with grace, space and imagination through a combination of elegant puppetry and a kitchen counter with hidden depths.
10 shows to get you in the Christmas spirit: Pinocchio, Dick Whittington, Christmasaurus &…
With so many festive themed shows on this month, here is Love London Love Culture’s top shows to book for if you are struggling to decide.
MIRACLE ON 34th STREET – Bridge House Theatre ★★★
Miracle on 34th Street is a sparkling, joyful and heartwarming spectacle. For a very merry Christmas, this is just the ticket.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Fitzrovia Radio Hour – Spiegeltent, Leicester Square ★★★★
As an old radio hack, who started a career over forty years ago in the days when “spot effects” in drama studios were one of the more amusing jobs, I have a feeling for the quintet who create the “Fitzrovia Radio Hour”.
PETER PAN – Belfast
Staged amid visually attractive cut-out sets that transported the audience to a world of wonder in such locations as The Darlings’ nursery, Neverland, Crocodile Creek, on board a pirate ship and beneath the sea, this production had a lot to offer with a talking bra, some super soakers, a giant gorilla and jokes about a mermaid’s shell phone all proving popular with the young audience.
SNOW GLOBE – Bristol Old Vic ★★★★
For Kid Carpet’s latest show for the younger generation at BOV is packed full of questions like this. Children’s theatre may be seen as the poor relation to the more grown up stuff by some of the more sniffy members of the fraternity, but they should try standing up and perform in front of a baying pack of children.
LITTLE MATCH GIRL & OTHER HAPPIER TALES – Touring ★★★★
As Black Friday and New Year bashes grow exponentially, child poverty in the UK is on the rise. The Little Match Girl may have her origins in the Victorian era and snow flecked tales of Hans Christian Andersen but that child can still be found today in most towns and cities across the country today.
THE BARRICADE BOYS: Christmas Cabaret – The Other Palace Studio ★★★★★
The set of 23 songs was varied and extremely well put together with a mixture of festive favourites, Les Mis hits and some more unexpected songs. Standout moments included I’ll Be Home For Christmas/Bring Him Home and Man In The Mirror which both featured tight harmonies and wonderful interaction between the boys.
THE CIRCUS DIARIES: December’s Circus Scoop
‘Tis the season to be jolly… so what could be more jolly than a trip to see some circus? Here’s our video round up, with some holly on top!
BEAUTY & THE BEAST – Bristol ★★★★
If Christmas shows are measured by the smile it puts on our faces and the gales of laughter elicited from the younger ones, then this is a stone-iron smash.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Old Vic Theatre ★★★★★
It takes a lot to put me in the mood for Christmas. But if anything can, this inventive A Christmas Carol does, pulling together tip-top modern stagecraft, a venerated story, and our proudest 200-year-old theatre.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Old Vic Theatre ★★★★★
It takes a lot to put me in the mood for Christmas. But if anything can, this inventive A Christmas Carol does, pulling together tip-top modern stagecraft, a venerated story, and our proudest 200-year-old theatre.