Written by Poppy Smith Directed by James Beagon ★★★ It’s every parent’s nightmare; the school nativity. Well, sort of. Taking the Michael, Poppy Smith’s original script warps the Nativity into a social comedy of the hierarchies and headaches of producing the annual school showcase, where everyone has to have a part, whether they want to or … Continue reading A Christmas -Michael- Miracle – Scottish Storytelling Centre
Written by John Somerville Directed and Choreographed by Mandy Black Musical Direction by Barrie Simcock ★★★★ Now this is a proper pantomime. There is an undoubtable poignancy with the Edinburgh People’s Theatre’s return to the stage following their hibernation over lockdown periods. Babes in the Wood, opening last week at the Churchill Theatre, is a fitting piece for … Continue reading Babes in the Wood – Churchill Theatre
https://youtu.be/UxxnL26CGpY Written by Ross Mackay Directed by Jordan Blackwood ★★★★★ Rifling through the pages of a well-loved story: there’s nothing better, is there? Seeking fortunes, solving mysteries, standing toe-to-toe with Dark Lords, and saving distant lands – the storybook is a gateway of limitless potential, and for some, it’s a lifeline, a friend. And where … Continue reading Treasure Island – The Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld
Written and Directed by Morag Fullarton Musical Direction by John Kielty ★★★★ The heat lamp’s aff, the pie-munching punters are seated, the colours are lurid, and there’s something crooked aboot – and it’s no the bar tab. The annual Òran Mór Panto makes a triumphant return to an eager crowd who are ready to boo, … Continue reading Rab Hood & The Sheriff Of Shettleston – Òran Mór
https://youtu.be/ZDXKsO7A_dU Written by Richard Johnson Adapted and Directed by Jo Timmins ★★★★ Traditionally, the Traverse Theatre steers away from the obligatory forms of Christmas productions, though many still skirt the edges of wintery or differing end-of-year customs. Continuing a break from the influx of Yule-time-infused shows across Edinburgh, Once Upon a Snowstorm presents a clean and simple … Continue reading Once Upon a Snowstorm – Traverse Theatre
https://youtu.be/7eyaId1TBP4 Written by Nathan Cockerill Theatre Direction by Chris Jarvis Film Direction by Geoff Coward ★★★★ A tradition from Auntie Beeb themselves, the CBeebies Pantomime has become an annual event for cheerful faces across the nation on both the small and, in recent years, the big screen. And this year is no different as we’re off to … Continue reading CBeebies Panto: Dick Whittington and His Cat
Written and Directed by Gordon Barr Musical Direction by Andy Manning ★★★★ There’s a touching duality to this year's Byre Theatre production of Snow White, featuring a tag-line theme of re-writing our stories. Traditionally, pantos of old suffer the lop-sided representations of their fairy-tale foundations, swinging the opposite way to recover this ended in a … Continue reading Snow White – Byre Theatre
From the Novel by Charles Dickens Directed by Angela Harkness Robertson ★★★ Puppets, cartoons, re-visionist history, musicals, futuristic, Bill Murray: filmmakers and playwrights have endeavoured to re-tell Charles Dicken’s tale of redemption and guilt for decades. A Christmas Carol, The quintessential festive ghost story of the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge’s visits from the deities of history – spectres … Continue reading A Christmas Carol – Assembly Roxy
Written and Directed by John Binnie Musical Direction and Piano by Tommie Travers ★★★ Ahoy landlubbers, it’s time to return to the Brunton Theatre to sail the high seas (well, the Firth of the Forth) with Sinbad and crew as audiences venture from the Honest Toun to lands unknown in the pursuit of treasure. It’s … Continue reading Sinbad: The Pantomime – Brunton Theatre
From the Novel by Charles Dickens Adapted and Directed by Tony Cownie ★★★★ The ghost of an idea. This is how Dickens described his significant contribution to the literary and cultural world, particularly as we enter the final days of the year. A story which takes the spectres of remorse, redemption, and guilt and channels … Continue reading An Edinburgh Christmas Carol – Royal Lyceum Theatre
