What's on in the Midlands

Published: 19 December 2021
Reporter: Steve Orme

Treasure Island at Derby Theatre Credit: Robert Day
The Play What I Wrote at Birmingham REP Credit: Manuel Harlan
Robin Hood at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham Credit: Whitefoot Photography

Chapterhouse Theatre Company takes Laura Turner’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to Peterborough Cathedral on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Spy thriller meets stocking filler” in a “unique” festive production from the Lost Boys, Panto Impossible, which continues in Derby Market Place until Wednesday.

David Bradley appears in Simon Callow’s version of A Christmas Carol, which continues in the B2 auditorium at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre until Thursday, while the annual Christmas treat for children aged from two to six is Imagine Theatre’s Santa’s Magical Mystery Guest, which continues at the Belgrade until Friday, and Iain Lauchlan is Dame Dolly Mixture in the panto Beauty and the Beast, which continues until Saturday 8 January.

Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show continues to wriggle into Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry until Friday.

Rod Campbell’s Dear Santa continues to charm youngsters in the Patrick Studio at Birmingham Hippodrome until Friday, while Jason Donovan heads the cast of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which continues until Sunday 30 January.

The “perfect family-friendly alternative to a traditional panto”, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, is adapted by Coventry’s Albany Theatre and continues until Sunday.

Theresa Heskins’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island continues to sail into Derby Theatre until Friday 31 December, while Tall Stories’ presentation of The Snow Dragon continues to heat up the Studio, also until Friday 31 December.

Divina De Campo leads the cast as Carabosse in Northamptonshire venue The Core at Corby Cube’s first drag pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, which continues until Friday 31 December.

A new production of the Broadway musical A Chorus Line continues at Curve, Leicester until Friday 31 December, while Tall Stories’ “stellar” new show based on Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler’s The Smeds and the Smoos continues to zoom off into space, also until Friday 31 December.

Maureen Nolan plays the Wicked Queen, Rebecca Keatley takes the lead role and Keith Jack is Prince Joseph in Stafford Gatehouse Theatre’s panto Snow White, which continues until Friday 31 December.

Nick Lane’s version of The Snow Queen continues at The Courtyard Hereford until Friday 31 December and audiences will have the climb of their life when they see Jack and the Beanstalk, which continues until Saturday 8 January.

Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben’s homage to Morecambe and Wise, The Play What I Wrote continues at Birmingham REP until Saturday 1 January.

James Holmes is Widow Twankey, Annalise Liard-Bailey plays Princess Willow and Matthew Jay Ryan is Wishy Washy in Aladdin, which continues at Buxton Opera House until Saturday 1 January.

The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is told in Jersey Boys, which continues at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham until Saturday 1 January.

Adapted from Kate DiCamillo's novel, the world première of The Magician's Elephant continues in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford until Saturday 1 January.

Tall Stories’ musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo continues in the Royal auditorium at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate until Sunday 2 January, while Ricky Champ, resident bad boy Stuart Highway in the BBC soap EastEnders, is King Rat in Dick Whittington, which continues on the Derngate stage also until Sunday 2 January.

The swashbuckling adventure Peter Pan featuring Tom Lister as Captain Hook, Mark James as Smee, Lloyd Warbey as Peter Pan and Jenny Huxley-Golden as Emily Darling continues at Malvern Festival Theatre until Sunday 2 January.

Jonathan Wilkes and Christian Patterson appear in Cinderella at the Regent Theatre, Stoke which continues until Sunday 2 January.

James Peake, winner of best dame in the 2020 Great British Pantomime Awards, plays Widow Twankey in Loughborough Town Hall’s panto Aladdin which continues until Sunday 2 January.

Mansfield Palace Theatre continues to wake up Sleeping Beauty until Sunday 2 January.

Suzanne Shaw is Belle with Thomas Redgrave from Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro as Gaston and Andrew Fleming as Philippe Philoppe in Beauty and the Beast at the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield, which continues until Sunday 2 January.

Sleeping Beauty gets the Imagine Theatre treatment at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, which continues until Monday 3 January.

Rita Simons, best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap EastEnders, plays wicked fairy Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty, which continues at Derby Arena until Saturday 8 January.

Tristan Gemmill plays the Sheriff of Nottingham, Matthew Kelly takes the role of Dame Tilly Tuck, Jodie Prenger is the Spirit of Sherwood and Matt Terry plays the title role in Nottingham Theatre Royal’s panto Robin Hood, which continues until Sunday 9 January.

Kenneth Alan Taylor’s Beauty and the Beast is the Nottingham Playhouse panto, which continues until Saturday 15 January.

The New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme takes Beauty and the Beast back to its roots for a re-telling of the story which continues until Saturday 29 January.

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