upfront
Elf
Bugsy Malone
Snow White
Lady Bushra
Your guide to this
winter’s best theatre & panto December and January traditionally offer jampacked stage programmes, and 2022 going
into 2023 is no exception. Rhiannon Farr scours Wales and its borders to cherry-pick the very best, from north to south.
NORTH
We begin our Wales-wide roundup in Llan- dudno’s Venue Cymru and the first of many Beauty & The Beast pantos doing the rounds this Christmas. The classic tale of a young girl falling for a prince cursed to be a beast is at the venue from Sat 10-Sat 31 Dec, with Welsh CBeebies star Rebecca Keatley in the role of Beauty. Alternatively, if your kids are Welsh speakers and/or a bit young for panto, Venue Cymru is also putting on Cyw’s Christmas Show, a collaboration between the S4C chil- dren’s characters and the WNO, on Thurs 1 Dec.
Continuing in the north, Theatr Clwyd’s Robin Hood panto is showing for nearly two months, starting in November and running until Sat 14 Jan. Christian Patterson brings rock‘n’roll to this classic pantomime, giving it a bit of soul and personality.
MID & WEST
Moving down to Pembrokeshire, those of you in west Wales can get your panto fix in Mil- ford Haven’s Torch Theatre from Fri 16-Sat 31 Dec. Sleeping Beauty, with Dion Davies playing Fanny the Nanny (yes, you read that
20
correctly), is the only panto in Pembrokeshire this season, so it’s sure to be a popular one! Further up the coastline in Cardigan, Aladdin is making its way to Theatr Mwldan from Sat 17-Wed 28 Dec.
Aladdin appears to be a favourite in the pan- to scene this winter, as you can also catch it at Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Theatre from Wed 14-Sat 17 Dec. Another option for those in the Swansea area is this roundup’s second production of Beauty & The Beast, which is being performed at Swansea Grand Theatre from Wed 14 Dec-Sun 15 Jan, with a cast that includes Joe McFadden, of Strictly and Casu- alty fame, and Welsh West Ender Hayley Gal- livan.
Our first ballet of this list is Brecon Festival Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, show- ing at Theatr Brycheiniog from Fri 16 -Sun 18 Dec. This collaborative production has community at its heart, with ensemble and be- hind the scenes roles given to locals. A ballet about Christmas, magic and romance, beauti- fully accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s instantly recognisable score, The Nutcracker remains a favourite with audiences – indeed, Brecon’s isn’t the only one you can catch in Wales this season.
SOUTH
For south Wales-based Christmas lovers (or those who don’t mind the commute), there’s a plethora of pantos, ballets and theatre to indulge in this winter. Starting in Newport’s
Riverfront Theatre, the venue’s panto this year is Robin Hood (clearly another popular choice), performed from the end of November until Sat 7 Jan. If at this point you’re after a bit more variety though, why not try Dragma’s Christmas Natterbox? On for one night only in the Riverfront, this saucy drag/cabaret show on Sat 10 Dec is definitely not something to bring the kids along to…
Newport is also home to ICC Wales, where Peter Pan On Ice is on show from Thurs 15 Dec-Sun 1 Jan. Choreographed by the award-winning Tony Mercer, this tale about the boy who never grew up is a great alternative to regular pantos. You can catch (another) perfor- mance of Beauty & The Beast in the Blake Theatre in Monmouth on Sat 10 Dec, and if you’re willing to cross the border, Bristol’s To- bacco Factory is showing The Snow Queen from Thurs 1 Dec-Sun 15 Jan, which will no doubt appeal to fans of Disney’s Frozen.
Pamela Raith
Festive Special
b
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