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Some of these shows are entering their last week, check out’s what available…
A lonely tree that needs company…
STANDING tickets at Shakespeare’s Globe in London are just £5 for Hannah Khalil’s adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Fir Tree’.
Tony Jayawardena is one of the five-strong listed cast in this production which also includes Anna Crichlow.
This Globe Theatre writer in residence, of Palestinian and Irish descent, takes a flight of the imagination on the traditional tale of the Fir Tree/Christmas Tree, impatient to grow up and imagining a world beyond the immediate forest it finds itself in.
‘The Fir Tree’ by Hans Christian Andersen adapted by Hannah Khalil, Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT until Saturday, December 31 – Wednesdays 3pm; evenings 7pm
See https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/the-fir-tree-2022/#details
Digital star Parle Patel has panto role
APPEARING in the Christmas Panto ‘Cinderella’ at The Beck Theatre in Hayes, London is well-known digital content creator and actor-performer Parle Patel.
Patel reprises the role of Dandini who is the wingman for Prince Charming, played by Nathan Conor from Channel 5’s ‘Milkshake!’, while Cinderella is Sue Holderness, the well-known TV actor from hit ‘Only Fools and Horses’.
“There’s a bit of an Asian twist and you will recognise some of the characteristics from my digital creations. It’s a lot of fun!” Patel told www.asianculturevulture.com. “It’s my first panto.”
The multi-talented creative has been in three stage productions this year – ‘Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding’, ‘Patel’s Millions’ in leading roles and can now add this traditional panto to his growing acting credits.
The pantomime ends this year on Saturday, December 31 with an afternoon show.
Earlier this year, he also composed the music for an Arts Council funded project, ‘Danko Vaage Re’, inspired by traditional Gujarati Garba folk dance and using 25 British dancers to help make the music video. “It’s been a busy year,” he added, with understatement. We will be running a longer piece about Patel soon. He has over 50K followers on Instagram.
‘Cinderella’ until December 31, at the Beck Theatre, Grange Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB3.
See https://becktheatre.org.uk/Online/panto-hayes-uxbridge-pantomime
Royal Shakespeare treatment for Dickens’s Classic
CHRISTMAS wouldn’t be Christmas without Charles Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ now, would it?
This Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) adaptation by David Edgar of Dicken’s original 1843 novella has been much lauded and features Adrian Edmondson as Ebeneezer Scrooge. This is the classic tale of the miser who isn’t really bothered about anyone but himself – until a Christmas ghost or two, or three come to pay him a visit and force him to re-evaluate.
Among the cast are Sunetra Sarker, Mitesh Soni, Beruce Khan and Sally Cheng.
‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon until Sunday, January 1 (limited availability – check box office/returns – 01789 331111); Saturdays 1.15pm/ evenings 7.30pm
See: https://www.rsc.org.uk/a-christmas-carol/tickets
Another take on festive favourite by celebrated writer
ALSO riffing on the classic tale, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a version by celebrated writer Jack Thorne, appearing at The Old Vic in London.
Owen Teale is Ebeneezer Scrooge and this is directed by Matthew Warchus, whose ‘Matilda The Musical‘ was a big hit and he went onto direct the film version, in ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical’ which was released in November. Among the cast in this production are Merryl Ansah, Dominic Sibanda and Meesha Turner. Thorne’s previous work includes ‘Harry Potter and Cursed Child’ for the West End stge and the current ‘His Dark Materials’ TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s much lauded books of the same title.
Read our review coming soon…
‘A Christmas Carol’ written by Jack Thorne, until January 7, at The Old Vic, The Cut, London SE1 8NB.
See https://www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/event/a-christmas-carol-1
Musical extravaganza and a different kind of winter wonderland‘
BASED on ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and a new musical, ‘Hex’, is about a lonely fairy who has no one to bless – until she is summoned to a place and help a princess who cannot sleep.
Not all goes to plan and the good wish turns into a curse and sets off a course of events that are hard to prevent and plunge our main character into despair – but can the situation be reversed?
In the cast are Zaynah Ahmed, Kalisha Johnson, Amanda Lindgreen, Kody Mortimer, Neima Naouri, Aharon Rayner, Sasha Shadid, and Rumi Sutton.
Developed from an original concept by Katrina Lindsay and Rufus Norris, the book is by Tanya Ronder, with music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris, director of The National Theatre.
‘Hex’, until January 14, at the Olivier Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX.
See info/tickets: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/he
Cinder’aliyah returns and is on the road
ON TOUR and building on their previous success is ‘Cinder’aliyah‘ – a Muslim pantomime.
Written, directed and starring Abdullah Afzal (from Adil Ray’s BBC sitcom ‘Citizen Khan’) it’s touring the country.
Organised by and promoted through pennyappeal.org – the show has listings up until January 29 in Glasgow and a prominent charity appeal to help those affected by the terrible floods this summer in Pakistan. There is open availability of shows from January 6 when the show is in Blackburn.
‘Cinder’Aliyah‘ also plays in Bradford, Nottingham, Sheffield, Derby, Bolton, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow
See – https://pennyappeal.org/event/the-great-muslim-pantomime
Not quite domestic bliss with Mother Goose (Sir Ian McKellen)
RUNNING well into the New Year is the Ian McKellen and John Bishop family panto, ‘Mother Goose’.
Well-reviewed, it is on a nationwide tour and ends its London run in January before winding up in Wales in April (as currently listed). Icon McKellen says back in the day, pantos used to run until the spring time to provide much needed mirth and entertainment, during the long winter nights.
Mother Goose (McKellen) and Vic (Bishop) run an animal sanctuary but their idyllic hideaway faces disruption when a magical goose appears…is it benign or malevolent?
Among the cast are Simbi Akande, Shailan Gohil, Karen Mavundukure, Sharon Ballard, and Gabriel Fleary.
This story is written by Jonathan Harvey and directed by Cal McCrystal.
‘Mother Goose’ (until January 29 in London), Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG
Then Chichester, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Liverpool, Oxford, Dublin and Cardiff.
See: https://mothergooseshow.co.uk/
*Running until December 28, Todaytix is offering 55 per cent off full price tickets on some 40 shows, to see more details head over to https://www.todaytix.com/
**Just announced – the successful and powerful ‘Two Billion Beats’ – the schoolpupil drama involving two Asian sisters by Sonali Bhattacharyya returns from January 20-February 4 in the New Year at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, South London – check out tickets here
