The Christmas pantomime season may have ended in February, but the Easter pantomime season is just around the corner.
Although today we see the form as a festive treat, productions were often presented throughout the year and it was only in the Victorian period that Boxing Day openings became traditional, when theatres would present their most spectacular production of the year to their loyal audiences.
Whitsun, with its links to Easter, was another time of the year pantomimes could be seen across the country. Today, of course, the pantomime season is somewhat dictated by school holidays and hence 2013 sees a range of Easter pantomimes on offer at over twenty theatres across England.
It is interesting to note that the 2013 Easter season comprises only four titles: The Wizard of Oz, Rapunzel, Treasure Island and Snow White. Aside from Snow White, these titles are rarely produced during the Christmas pantomime season, but allow creative teams to explore the genre and apply its well-loved conventions to new titles, often dispensing with the Dame and strong romance narratives, but ensuring plenty of audience participation and slapstick fun still prevails.
Of course, in the case of Snow White and the Seven Poofs, this is an adult-only pantomime and cross dressing and naughtiness will prevail in abundance as the production returns for a short run after its festive outing at the Green Carnation.
Below you can find details of the Easter pantomimes on offer this coming season. For Enchanted Entertainment’s tours of Rapunzel and Wizard of Oz, there is also the opportunity to take part in the show at each venue:
Rapunzel
Written and produced by Marc Day
Dugdale Centre, Enfield
Wed 27th March – Sat 13th April 2013
Rapunzel
Enchanted Entertainment
Starring: Jon Moses, Jenny Jones, Peter Duncan, Kay Purcell, Andrew Crawford, Joe Chambers
TOUR: White Rock, Hastings (27th March), Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth (28th – 29th March), Assembly Rooms, Derby (30th – 31st March), Civic Theatre, Darlington (1st – 2nd April), Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle (4th – 5th April), Victoria Theatre, Halifax (6th April), York Barbican (7th – 8th April), The Deco, Northampton (10th – 11th April), Assembly Halls, Tunbridge Wells (12th – 13th April), Dorking Halls (14th April)
Snow White and the Seven Poofs
SG Productions Ltd
Green Carnation, Soho
Fri 28th March – Sun 7th April 2013
Starring: Simon Gross, Mrs Moore, Tanya Hyde, John Moore, Anthony Poore, Richard Swann, Scott Gray, Adolpho Espina, Jonathan Lloyd, Stacey Lamb, Katie Jackson, Rob Walsh, Jamie Sheerman
Treasure Island
Wicked Productions
Royal Victoria Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
Tues 9th April – Sun 14th April 2013
Starring: Jeremy Edwards, Ant Payne, Adam Hoffman, Tom Swift, Amanda Swift, Tom Beard
The Wizard of Oz
Regal Entertainments Ltd
St Helen’s Theatre Royal
Sat 30th March – Sun 7th April 2013
Starring: Claire Simonsen, Nick Cochrane, Simon Foster, Charlie Griffiths, Leah Murphy, Mark Allen, Harriet Rainford, Jason Bacon
The Wizard of Oz
Shone Productions
The Brindley, Runcorn
Thurs 4 April – Sat 6th April 2013
Starring: Laura Handley
The Wizard of Oz
Trio Entertainment
North Pier Theatre, Blackpool
Sat 30th March – Sat 13th April 2013
Starring: Grace Adams Short, Jolly Goode
The Wizard of Oz
Enchanted Entertainment
Starring: Bobby Davro, Sarah Jane-Honeywell, Dani Harmer, Chris Edgerley, Peter Brad-Leigh, Jimmy Burton-Iles, Kate Richards, Chris Kayson
TOUR: Pavilion Theatre, Weymouth (27th March), Octagon Theatre, Yeovil (29th – 30th March), Grand Theatre, Swansea (31st March), Riverfront, Newport (1st – 2nd April), Plymouth Pavilions (3rd – 4th April), Grove Theatre, Dunstable (6th – 7th April), Palace Theatre, Mansfield (8th April), Bath Halls, Scunthorpe (9th – 10th April), St George’s Hall, Bradford (12th – 13th April), Plaza, Stockport (14th April)