Midlands productions

Published: 30 December 2018
Reporter: Steve Orme

Morgan Brind as Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk at Derby Arena
Crimes of the Christmas Pudding in the Studio at Lichfield Garrick Credit: Pamela Raith
Kathryn Hunter as Timon and Patrick Drury as Flavius in Timon of Athens in the Swan Theatre, Stratford Credit: Simon Annand

Three Spires and Guildhall returns to the Albany Theatre, Coventry with Beauty and the Beast from Monday until Saturday.

Jars of Clay Theatre Company stages a “ripping tale of action and adventure, music and romance” in The Tale of Robin Hood at the Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham from Wednesday until Saturday.

The Russian State Ballet of Siberia dances into Buxton Opera House with La Fille mal gardée, recreated by Alexander Gorsky, on Friday, Swan Lake on Saturday and The Nutcracker, both by Tchaikovsky, on Sunday.

Sleeping Beauty continues at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Saturday.

Mike Kenny’s adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel continues at Derby Theatre until Saturday while in the Studio Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a show for children aged from three upwards and their families, also continues to be served up until Saturday.

Duncan James takes the role of Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk which continues at Derby Arena until Saturday.

Lady detective Artemis Arinae finds herself in the middle of a “steamy seasonal crime caper set in high society” in New Old Friends’ Crimes of the Christmas Pudding which continues in the Studio at Lichfield Garrick until Saturday while on the main stage Dick Whittington, written by Paul Hendy, also continues until Saturday.

Sue Holderness, best known for her role as Marlene in the BBC1 sitcom Only Fools and Horses, plays the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Mansfield Palace Theatre which continues until Sunday.

Dick Whittington the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto continues at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre until Sunday.

The first production at Leicester’s newly reopened Haymarket Theatre, the world première of Treasure Island, penned by Sandi Toksvig, continues until Sunday.

Su Pollard plays the Wicked Queen in Malvern Theatres’ panto Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which continues until Sunday.

Leicester’s X Factor winner Sam Bailey and former Coronation Street actor Kevin Kennedy appear in Peter Pan at De Montfort Hall, Leicester which continues until Sunday.

Polka Theatre and Little Angel Theatre continue to stage Peter Glanville and Julian Butler’s adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb’s The Everywhere Bear in the Underground Studio at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate until Sunday.

Leicester’s Curve aims to “banish the blues and nourish the soul” with its production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas which continues until Sunday 13 January while Curve and Rose Theatre Kingston’s co-production of Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat continues in Curve’s Studio until Saturday 12 January.

Joe Pasquale plays Smee and John Challis is Captain Hook in Nottingham Theatre Royal’s panto Peter Pan which continues until Sunday 13 January.

The Yellow Brick Road leads to Birmingham REP as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion continue to search for The Wizard of Oz until Sunday 13 January.

Katherine Chandler adapts the Brothers Grimm story The Elves and the Shoemaker in the Neville Studio at Nottingham Playhouse which continues until Saturday while on the main stage Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood continues until Saturday 19 January.

Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows continues at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme until Saturday 26 January.

Tall Stories continues to present a “magical, musical production” based on Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton’s book Emily Brown and the Thing in the Patrick Studio at Birmingham Hippodrome until Friday while on the main stage Jimmy Osmond, Meera Syal, Matt Slack, Jaymi Hensley, the Timbuktu Tumblers and Sascha Williams continue in Peter Pan until Sunday 27 January.

At the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, Aden Gillett plays Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol which continues until Sunday 20 January while in the Swan Theatre Molière’s classic Tartuffe is brought up to date in a new version by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto which continues until Saturday 23 February and Kathryn Hunter takes the title role in Timon of Athens which continues until Friday 22 February.

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