Panto season is here again (From Gazette)

Panto season is here again

10:00am Monday 28th November 2011 in Leisure

LET'S get ready to panto as the lights go on and the curtain goes up on another festive season of gags, gunge and glorious costumes.

Here’s our guide to some of the dames and baddies coming to a stage near you:

Beauty and the Beast,Mercury Theatre, Colchester. December 2 to January 7. £10 to £19.75. 01206 573948. www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

After successful productions of A Winter’s Tale and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, the Mercury Theatre Company return with their all singing, all dancing end of year extravaganza.

This year company regular Ignatius Anthony takes on the greatest panto tradition of all, playing the dame, having been in numerous company productions over the last decade, including seven pantomimes.

He is joined by other company regulars, including Roger Delves-Broughton, Clare Humphrey, Dale Superville and David Tarkenter.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,Princes Theatre Clacton, December 14 to January 1. £12.50, £11 for concessions, Family £42 (two adults, two children). 01255 686633. www.essex-live.co.uk

After the last two years of professional productions, Clacton has again attracted another all-star cast for this year’s festive show.

As well as This Morning’s entertainments presenter, Alison Hammond, playing Fairy Fortune, Polka Dot Productions has announced that Nicole Faraday has also signed up to appear as the nasty Queen Morgana.

She is best known for her role as prison inmate Snowball Merriman in ITV’s popular drama series Bad Girls.

Dick Turpin, the Pantomime, Nayland Village Hall, Nayland, December 2 and 3, 7.30pm and an extra performance at 2.30pm on the Saturday. £6 for adults, £5 for under 16s. 01206 262808

Local troupes usually wait until the New Year for their pantos but the Nayland Players are being a be different.

They’ve even picked a rather different pantomime subject, roguish Essex highwayman Dick Turpin.

It still has the typical panto characters – the dame, a beautiful girl and her principal boy, a villain complete with dim-witted henchmen and a pantomime cow.

Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood: The Rock ’n’ Roll panto,New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Until January 28. £8.50 to £25. 01473 2959000. www.newwolseytheatre.co.uk

This new version of the traditional tale provides a rock and roll version of the Robin Hood legend.

Follow Robin as he attempts to outwit the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, free the unfortunate Babes and their outrageous, oversize Nanny, Nellie Nightnurse, as well as marrying the beautiful Maid Marion.

Once again a cast of actor/musicians serve up more than 20 classic songs, including the Hippy Hippy Shake, I Shot the Sheriff, Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Born to Run.

Wizard of Oz, Ipswich Regent Theatre, St Helen’s Street, Ipswich. December 17 to 23. Tickets from £10. 01473 433100. www.ipswichregent.co.uk

For one week only, CBBC star Dani Harmer, pictured, stars in this new pantomime version of the classic story.

Starting her acting career as the troublesome but lovable Tracy Beaker, Dani now has her own hit show on the children’s channel.

After recording the latest series of Tracy Beaker Returns, she’ll be making her way to Ipswich to entertain the audiences there.

Packed with slick dance routines, toe-tapping songs and plenty of laughter, Dani will be joined on the stage by Coronation Street’s Ken Morley as well as a ten-piece backing band.