Midlands productions

Published: 21 December 2014
Reporter: Steve Orme

The Tiger Who Came to Tea at Birmingham Town Hall Credit: Robert Workman
Pinocchio at Curve, Leicester
David Troughton (Simon Eyre) and Vivien Parry (Margery Eyre) in The Shoemaker’s Holiday in the Swan Theatre, Stratford Credit: Pete Le May

Based on the picture book written and illustrated by Judith Kerr and adapted for the stage by David Wood, The Tiger Who Came to Tea rings the doorbell at Birmingham Town Hall from Tuesday until Wednesday 14 January.

Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall celebrates Christmas with the Rat Pack on Saturday.

Coventry writer Nick Walker’s festive comedy thriller Oh No It Isn’t! continues in the B2 auditorium at the city’s Belgrade Theatre until Saturday.

Red Earth Theatre comes up with a “colourful and creative re-telling” of Hansel and Gretel which continues in the Studio at Derby Theatre until Sunday.

Derby LIVE and Buxton-based theatre company Babbling Vagabonds join together to stage Naughty Meg and the Christmas Elves which continues at the Guildhall Theatre, Derby until Sunday.

A “magical, all-new re-telling of the much-loved fairy tale” The Adventures of Pinocchio continues at The Castle, Wellingborough until Tuesday 30 December.

Hiccup Theatre teams up with children’s writer Michael Rosen for a new version featuring puppets of Pinocchio which continues at Curve, Leicester until Saturday 3 January.

Steve Nallon, known for impersonating Margaret Thatcher on ITV’s Spitting Image, Joseph Elliott and Josh Little continue in Jack and the Beanstalk at Buxton Opera House until Saturday 3 January.

Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s tale The Wind in the Willows, adapted by Eric Gracey, continues at the Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham until Saturday 3 January.

Inspired by conversations with children, Wigglegiggle, which “builds on substantial research around how music and rhythm can develop listening and language skills of three- to five-year-olds”, continues in the Neville Studio at Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 3 January.

CBeebies presenter Alex Winters is Buttons and Goodness Gracious Me’s Kulvinder Ghir plays Baron Hardup in Cinderella, written and directed by Hackney Empire’s artistic director Susie McKenna who hails from Leicester, which continues at the city’s De Montfort Hall until Sunday 4 January.

Neil Duffield’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol continues at Derby Theatre until Sunday 4 January.

Joe Pasquale plays Smee in Peter Pan which continues on the Northampton Royal stage until Sunday 4 January.

Arthur Bostrom is Count Dandini de Tartare in Cinderella at Lichfield Garrick which continues until Sunday 4 January.

Northampton’s Royal stage continues as the mythical world of Camelot and Arthurian legends for the world premiere of Ella Hickson’s Merlin until Sunday 4 January.

Stoke’s “favourite pantomime duo” Jonathan Wilkes and Christian Patterson continue in Dick Whittington at the city’s Regent Theatre until Sunday 4 January.

Former Coronation Street actor Vicky Entwistle continues as Bad Fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty at Mansfield Palace Theatre until Sunday 4 January.

Tall Stories musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo continues at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry until Sunday 4 January.

Playbox Theatre returns Peter Pan to its original Edwardian roots when it performs J M Barrie’s classic tale at the Dream Factory, Warwick from Thursday until Sunday 4 January.

Director Paulette Randall promises there will be a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on in Cinderella The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto which continues at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre until Saturday 10 January.

Iain Lauchlan continues as Widow Twankey in Coventry Belgrade Theatre’s Aladdin until Saturday 10 January.

Lesley Joseph and Sam Attwater appear Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which continues at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham until Sunday 11 January.

Leicester’s Curve continues to present a new production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music until Saturday 17 January.

Sleeping Beauty, Kenneth Alan Taylor’s 31st panto for Nottingham Playhouse, continues until Saturday 17 January.

Birmingham Stage Company’s Horrible Christmas has added extra performances and continues at the Old Rep Theatre, Station Street, Birmingham until Saturday 17 January.

Julian Clary, Joe Tracini and Niki Evans continue in Cinderella at Wolverhampton Grand until Sunday 18 January.

A new staging of Roald Dahl’s popular children’s book The BFG continues at Birmingham REP until Saturday 24 January.

Mary Norton’s family adventure The Borrowers continues at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic Theatre until Saturday 31 January.

Jane McDonald, Duncan James, Chris Gascoyne, Gary Milton, Paul Zerdin and Matt Slack continue in “Britain’s most popular pantomime” Jack and the Beanstalk at Birmingham Hippodrome until Sunday 1 February.

At the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Christmas Truce continues until 31 January, and Love’s Labour’s Lost and Love’s Labour’s Won (Much Ado About Nothing) both continue until 14 March; in the Swan Theatre David Troughton heads the cast of Thomas Dekker’s Jacobean comedy The Shoemaker's Holiday which runs until Saturday 7 March.

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