Guide to this year's pantos around the North-East and North Yorkshire

IT’S that time of the year again – oh yes, it is – when serious plays take a back seat as theatres adopt the festive spirit, putting up Christmas trees in the foyer and pantomimes on the stage. Aladdin emerges as the most popular title in the North-East with four productions, followed by two apiece for Cinderella and Snow White. The Chuckle Brothers put their spin on a familiar story in The Chuckles Of Oz at Darlington. A grumpy Santa displaying little ho-ho-ho appeal puts in an appearance in one of the original stage pieces being produced. The casts contain the usual mix of faces familiar from TV and from past pantos. The shows are well served by villains – one of TV’s most evil characters Nasty Nick (actor John Altman) makes the flesh creep in Middlesbrough and while York Theatre Royal welcomes back long-serving, hip-swivelling, pelvic-thrusting bad boy David Leonard.

BILLINGHAM FORUM
Aladdin

“The North-East’s best value pantomime with the biggest cast ever”

Jake Canuso, best known as barman Matteo in ITV’s comedy Benidorm, makes his panto debut as Abanazer with Brennan Reece in the title role. Funny man Barnaby returns as Wishee Washee after Forum appearances in Cinderella and Jack And The Beanstalk, with Craig Ansell as Widow Twankey. Junior cast members come from the Forum Theatre School of Performing Arts.

Dec 6-Jan 4. Box Office: 01642-552663 and forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk

CONSETT EMPIRE
Aladdin

“Adventure, glittering costumes, special effects, incredible scenery, live music and lots of hilarity”

Former Latin and Ballroom British Champion Anthony Rutherford dances into the role of Guardian of the Cave of Wonder – or Mysticaliese, as he’s known in the script. He’s a backup dancer for the professionals on the current series of Strictly Come Dancing, meaning he’ll step into their shoes if they’re unable to dance. The Empire is hoping to top the record-breaking sales for its 2013 pantomime.

Dec 5-31. 01207-218171 and leisureworks.net

DARLINGTON CIVIC THEATRE
The Chuckles Of Oz

“The spectacular family pantomime”

Brothers Paul and Barry Elliott, better known as the Chuckle Brothers, head along the yellow brick road following last year’s successful Civic panto Aladdin. Their 3D take on the famous wizard fantasy features all the characters you’d expect to meet on this road trip with three of the Aladdin cast – Phil Corbitt (Cowardly Lion), Danny Potts (Tin Man) and Beth Stobbart (Glinda the Good Witch) – returning. Adam C Booth, who plays the Scarecrow, previously played Buttons in Cinderella in Darlington.

Dec 6-Jan 11. 01325-486555 and darlingtoncivic.co.uk

DURHAM GALA
Aladdin

“Full of North Eastern promise”

Gala panto regulars Neil Armstrong and Paul Hartley are evil Abanazar and Wishee Washee respectively in a production that finds Geordie actor Chris Connel in unfamiliar guise as Widow Twankey. All very different to his appearance in Lee Hall’s play The Pitmen Painters, in which he performed on the UK tour and on Broadway. After playing in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Durham at the Gala, Viktoria Kay and Robert Hudson are back as PC Ping Pong and the Emperor

Nov 27-Jan 3. 03000-266600 and galadurham.co.uk

HARROGATE THEATRE
Cinderella

“The greatest fairy tale of all”

Firm favourite Tim Stedman returns for his 15th year of silliness as the daft hero with a line in silly jokes. This time he’s Buttons. Back too is Philip Stewart, a horrible Fleshcreep in 2012 and Wizard Roy in 2013. He teams up with David Westbrook (Baron BonBon in 2011’s Beauty And The Beast) as gruesome twosome Neeta and Harriet. The titular heroine is Lucy Jane Quinlan, Harrogate’s Dick Whittington a few years back. This panto marks Phil Lowe’s eighth as director and sixth writing the script with Harrogate Theatre CEO David Bown.

Dec 2-Jan 18. 01423-502116 and harrogatetheatre.co.uk

MIDDLESBROUGH THEATRE
Jack And The Beanstalk

“The latest in a long line of traditional family pantomimes”

They don’t come more villainous than Nasty Nick in BBC soap EastEnders and now actor John Altman continues to show off his bad side when he plays Fleshcreep, who makes live hell for Jack as he tries to rescue Daisy the cow from the lair of a giant ogre. If his TV mum Dot Cotton thinks Nick’s a bad boy wait until she sees him get up to all sorts of panto nastiness.

Dec 5-Jan 4. 01642-815181 and middlesbroughtheatre.co.uk

NEWCASTLE LIVE THEATRE
Christmas Carnival

“Topsy turvy Christmas Carnival of theatre, poetry and music”

For adults only or 16-plus as the publicity states. More from Trashed Organ and Live Lab whose Christmas Noir was a sell-out last year. This time Santa descends into the underworld’s chaotic masquerade where Rudolf is drinking Dionysus under the table and the worker elves have stolen a sleigh with plans to deliver presents to the naughty children. In the Studio Theatre.

Dec 17. 0191-2321232 and live.org.uk

NEWCASTLE MILL TYNE THEATRE
Sleeping Beauty

“This promises to be another pantomime filled with magic, music and laughs”

Glen Joseph, fresh from playing Buddy Holly on tour, returns to his home city as the Prince who must plant a kiss to awaken his beautiful but snoozing girlfriend. Phillippa Wilson’s evil Carabosse kiboshes his plans. Also featuring Charlie Richmond as Numpty Norman, Maxie Peters as Dame Nora and Sue Sweeney as Queenie Sweeney.

Dec 6-30. 0844-4939999 and millvolvotynetheatre.co.uk

NEWCASTLE NORTHERN STAGE
Stage 1 – Get Santa!

“A jolly Christmas play full of songs, slapstick, puppetry and fun”

Holly is upset that every year Santa fails to deliver what she’s asked for in her letter. So she sets a trap for him on Christmas Eve. Alas it all goes wrong and she ends up kidnapping his hopeless son Bumblehole. No wonder Santa is very grumpy. For children over seven and their families. Northern Stage artistic director Lorne Campbell directs from a script by Anthony Nielson and music by Nick Powell.

Dec 1-27

Stage 2 - The Christmas Grump

Inspired by Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, this original story by Susan Mulholland finds miserable, mean and miserly Mr Scratch disturbed by the toys in his shop who are determined to teach him the true meaning of Christmas. For children aged six and under and their families.

Nov 15-Jan 3. 0191-2305151 and northernstage.co.uk

NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

“The fairest panto in all the land”

Father-and-son team Clive Webb and Danny Adams are celebrating ten years of record-breaking Theatre Royal pantos with a show that’s set to be the biggest and fastest-selling panto of all time. They’ll have a little – well, more than a little - help from their friends, namely immaculately-dressed dame Chris Hayward, Newcastle-born producer Michael Harrison and amazing special effects from The Twins FX.

Nov 25-Jan 18. 08448-112121 and theatreroyal.co.uk

RICHMOND GEORGIAN THEATRE
Puss In Boots

“It’s going to be paw-tappingly amazing”

Writer and director Tony Lidington places his hero in the early rock ‘n’ roll years of the 1950s and 1960s where Puss has to put the boot into evil scientists, crazed robots and deliciously scary monsters. This tale of the swaggering feline follows the success in past years of Mother Goose, The Adventures Of Sinbad, Babes In the Wood and last year’s Cinderella.

Dec 6-Jan 4. 01748-825252 and georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk

SCARBOROUGH STEPHEN JOSEPH THEATRE
Aladdin

“A magical musical tale”

The traditional pantomime is given a modern twist in a musical play helmed by artistic director Chris Monks. Expect to be taken on a magical adventure from Norway and the shadow of the Northern Lights to city life in Kashgar. Jay Saighai makes his professional debut as Aladdin as he tries to outwit Sven Gali, Norway’s answer to Simon Cowell, in the quest for the magic lamp. Paul Ryan, a buxom Mrs Bouncer in Cox & Box at the theatre, gender swaps again as Aladdin’s mum Mrs Darzi.

Dec 1-Jan 3. 01723-370541 and sjt.uk.com

SOUTH SHIELDS CUSTOMS HOUSE
Little Red Riding Hood

“The little panto with the big heart”

Not one of the most seen pantos, but it comes with the promise of a “crack(l)ing show with lots of panto favourites, costumes, scenery and lots and lots of howling laughter”. Little Red, granddaughter of Dame Dora Dropsit, lives in the magical fairy tale land of Cooksonville where the sky is as blue as the flowers and the birds sing. Watch out there’s an evil witch about to deliver a spelling lesson.

Dec 2-Jan 10. 0191-4278183 and customshouse.co.uk

SUNDERLAND EMPIRE
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, which is the funniest panto of them all? Why, ours of course”

Family pantomime from the producers of Peter Pan and Cinderella with the irrepressible Su Pollard begging to be booed at the Wicked Queen. Former EastEnders actor and Dancing On Ice skater Matt Lapinskas is the prince looking to wake up Snow White and save her from a life of drudgery housekeeping for seven little people. Plus Andrew Agnew, whom Balamory followers will know as PC Plum, is Muddles. The dwarfs, so we’re told, are “real” ie not children wearing masks.

Dec 12-Jan 4. 0844-8713022 and atgtickets.com/sunderland

YORK GRAND OPERA HOUSE
Cinderella

“The magical family pantomime”

She became a panto legend flying high as Peter Pan, but Anita Harris keeps her feet on the ground as the Baroness, Cinderella’s not-very-nice stepmother, in the rags-to-riches story. Any Dream Will Do’s Rob McVeigh returns for the second year running as does local actress Lauren Hood after playing Snow White last year. Also featuring Emmerdale’s Stuart Wade, Last Of The Summer Wine’s Tom Owen and Eurovision pop act Scooch’s Caroline Barnes and Russ Spencer.

Dec 12-Jan 4. 0844-8713024 and atgtickets.com/York

YORK THEATRE ROYAL
Old Mother Goose

“Panto family are reunited”

The UK’s long-running dame – Berwick Kaler, who else? – is reunited with his panto family this Christmas. Long-serving villain David Leonard is back in the fold after missing (and being sorely missed) two pantos while starring in the London West End hit Matilda. Other long-time collaborators Martin Barrass and Suzy Cooper return too, along with Brummie A J Powell and a character called Squire Tingly-Bottoms (you can imagine what the jokes are going to be like).

Dec 11-Jan 31

Puss In Boots, De Grey Rooms Ballroom

“Purr-fect tale for you and your family”

Another Christmas show from TongueTied Theatre and Telling Tales following last year’s Cinderella. Journey with Puss, meet colourful characters and visit faraway places. With intricate shadow puppetry and ogre-sized puppets. For audiences five to 11, except All Ages Welcome performances when the show is slightly adapted to suit younger audiences and all the family are welcome.

Dec 10-Jan 3. 01904-623568 and yorktheatreroyal.co.uk