Pantos take centre stage across south Essex (From Echo)

Pantos take centre stage across south Essex

6:00pm Friday 28th November 2008 in

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THE Christmas pantomime season is upon us and south Essex families are spoilt for choice when it comes to watching fairy-tale characters.

Four venues are providing the best in festive fun, offering a mixture of fairy godmothers, munchkins, ugly sisters, dashing princes, sorcerers and magic rings.

Aladdin and the Wizard of Oz take centre stage at the Cliffs Pavilion and Palace Theatre, both in Westcliff.

But it is the Towngate in Basildon and Thameside Theatre, Grays, which kick off panto season for real next week, with different adaptions of Cinderella starting on Thursday evening.

So sit back, chew some some popcorn and train those vocal chords for screaming “He’s behind you!” as the Echo guides you through the very best in Christmas entertainment for the whole family.

Following the yellow brick road

AUDIENCES at the Palace Theatre will be taken on a trip down the Yellow Brick Road by the Wizard of Oz this Christmas.

The Westcliff playhouse will be turned into a fantasy world of Munchkins, sorcerers, witches and a bewildered girl guided around by a lion, scarecrow and tin man.

The four-legged star will be Shani, who stole the show as Toto in 2006 when the production marked the reopening of the Palace.

The Wizard of Oz begins on Friday, December 12, and runs until Sunday, January 4. Adults tickets start at £10, with concessions £9. Discounts will be given to schools and large group.

Shows will be twice a day, in the afternoon and evening. Call 01702 351135.

Comic capers and a genie!

THE Chuckle Brothers promise to bring loads of laughs to Aladdin at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff.

The children’s TV favourites are playing madcap double-act Wishee and Washee, with Any Dream Will Do singer Chris Crosby in the title role.Confessions of a Window Cleaner and Carry On star Robin Askwith also appears as evil magician Abanazar.

But the real star of the show could be the 3D Genie, who will rise from his lamp and fly around the theatre thanks to computer-generated effects.

Aladdin begins next Friday, but the first show is already sold out. There are plenty of other opportunities to join in the fun, right up until Sunday, January 4. Tickets start at £10 for adults and £9.50 concessions.

Discounts are available for schools and groups. Afternoon and evening performances take place every day. For more details, call 01702 351135.

You shall go to the ball!

SANDRA Dickinson provides the star turn as the fairy godmother in the Towngate Theatre’s production of Cinderella.

The squeaky-voiced blonde, best known for playing Trillian in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, will help conjure up a magical Basildon show with a wave of her wand.

A modern production of an all-time classic, the Towngate show features buckets of local references and gags, plus modern pop songs. The show also includes a mechanical horse, which is set to fly across the stage.

Sophie Ladds plays Cinderella and Simon Fielding takes on the role of Buttons.

Performances begin next Thursday at 7pm. The show runs until January 4. Tickets start at £12.50, with family passes priced £46. Shows take place at 1pm or 2pm and 5pm or 6pm. Call 01268 465465.

TV names fill stage

TV faces galore flood the Thameside Theatre’s Cinderella show.

This year’s panto at the Grays venue stars Dance X winner Claire-Louise Mealor as Cinderella, Grange Hill’s Colin Ridgewell as Buttons and Crossroads veteran Lynette McMorrough as the fairy godmother.

The show is packed full of wicked ugly sisters, a handsome prince and a dotty old Baron, with a large dose of singing and dancing thrown in for good measure.

The first show is next Thursday, at 7pm, with the panto running until Sunday, January 11, with performances at 10.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 6pm and 7pm.

Adult tickets start at £14, while the cheapest under-16 seats are £12.

For more information, call 0845 3005264.