... WOLVERHAMPTON IT MIGHT have been better, after all, had Les Dawson been cast as a dame. His comedy routines are few and far between, as he pulls funny faces, ad libs and enjoys asides with the audience, as Baron Hardup. But with two Ugly Sisters, engagingly played by Lambert and Ross, a tradition al dame would have unbalanced the production, the first pantomime at the reopened Grand in four ...

... PETERBOROUGH OLD AND NEW is very much the theme of Jack and the Beanstalk, Peterborough Key Theatre's pantomime There is a liberal sprinkling of new faces in the cast, bolstered by a few tried and tested regulars. But director Tony Clayton's most innovative blending of old and new is in the casting of George Raymonde with Ron Kopsie. The vastly experienced George is soon to celebrate 50 ...

... HANLEY ALADDIN AT Hanley Theatre Royal should conjure some life back into traditional Christmas panto in starved North Staffs. I ne unnstmas tare billed as Hanley's first pantomime for 23 years certainly provides good clean fun and value for money, and is attractive entertainment for children. Generally the show succeeds, and in no small measure thanks to the perform ance of the tireless ...

... NORTHAMPTON Royal CINDERELLA IS said to be the best loved of all the pantomime stories and from this production it is easy to see why. All the necessary ingredients are there for a traditional family show: romance, slapstick, magic, dance and song. But the main reason for the success of this year's offering and it is superior to others of recent years is that the familiar fare has been ...

... MANCHESTER Library ONCE AGAIN Manchester Library Theatre was first off the mark with the city's round of Christmas shows, David Wood's highly imaginative The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner being the choice. David Wood's fancy ranges far and wide in this specialised field, and one sometimes wondered what happened before he came on to the theatrical scene. The plotters of Cabbage Parch ...

... STOCKPORT Cinderella LOOKING BACK over many years of pantomime, is it simply advancing years which suggests that this particular form has become coarsened and has lost some of its magic? The thought is prompted by this pre sentation of Cinderella at the Daven port, Stockport. Originally, after all, Cin derella was a fairy story about a poor, badly-treated girl who falls in love with and is ...

... SOUTHPORT TRAFFORD PARNELL Productions again maintain their reputation for a good all-round family show with their lively presentation of Jack and the Beanstalk. This is the 15th successive pantomine in the resort by the long-standing team of Tommy Trafford and Ronnie Parnell for Sefton Metro Council. Well dressed and presented as usual, the storyline by Ronnie Parnell is packed with fun ...

... STIRLING THE final impression of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the MacRobert Arts Centre is that it shows a sense of dedication by the cast and production team. The company is short of help from the script and rely on the drollery of the seven dwarfs and the expertise of Una McLean and John Grieve, who draw upon their understanding of childlike audiences to develop the fun. The ...

... The Plantagenet Saga NAG'S HEAD CONDENSING eight Shakespeare historical plays into an evening's performance is a feat achieved with exceptional success by Kenneth McClellan--a one-man dramatic compilation, coherently put together with great attention to detail, continuity and sustained erest for the Wandsworth Theatre Campaign, at the Nag's Head, Battersea. From Richard II, through the ...

... Jumpers LEATHERHEAD TOM STOPPARD'S play Jumpers, about gymnastics-- oris it about abstract philosophy, metaphysics, or theology, was well received at the Thorndike, Leatherhead. The audience guffawed without necessarily accepting the more obvious witticisms and laughed gently in case there was something in the abstract which, in any case, Frank Thornton made to sound, funny. He starts well ...

... GRAVESEND ASTUTE READERS will notice that both Gravesend and Dartford are presenting Cinderella this year, although the towns are only six miles apart. Dartford, as previously reported in The Stage, has taken the clash in its stride But for Gravesend, returning to panto after three years of Christmas Crack ers, it's a blow they could have done without. Producer Bob Bruce is still seething ...

... DARTFORD ONE of the most popular and oftenperformed pantomimes, Cinderella, was the choice of both the Orchard, Dartford, and the theatre at nearby Gravesend. A pity one of the two could not agree to give way and stage a different panto, since two Cinderellas in such close proximity cannot but have an adverse effect on the box office of each At Dartford Dickie Henderson (But tons) and ...