Theatre
■ CHURCH HILL THEATRE 33a Morningside Road, 529 4147. Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves Until Sun 20 Dec. Thu & Fri 7pm; Sat 2.30pm & 7pm; Sun 2.30pm. £9 (£7). Annual panto from Edinburgh People’s Theatre set in the sandy climes of Baghdad where Pollyanna Jones and her father seek the Tomb of Doom. Book online at www.ept.org.uk ■ FESTIVAL THEATRE 13/29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. The Corstorphine Road Nativity ●●●●● Until Sat 19 Dec. 7.30pm (also Thu & Sat 2.30pm). £10.50–£25. A brand new stage version of Tim Firth’s hit television nativity show, The Flint Street Nativity, is created exclusively for the Festival Theatre. Off Kilter Tue 29 Dec–Sat 2 Jan. Tue & Wed 7.30pm; Thu & Fri 2.30pm; Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £15–£25. See Glasgow, Theatre Royal. Part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. Scottish Ballet: The Nutcracker Wed 6–Sat 9 Jan. 7.30pm (also Thu & Sat 2pm). £8–£35 (£5–£32; family ticket 72-102). See Glasgow, Theatre Royal.
■ THE GRV 37 Guthrie Street, 554 3005 A Christmas Carol Thu 17 Dec. 8pm. £10 (£8). Siege Perilous stays up all night with Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformative visitations in this dramatic reading by Ian Watt of his abridged version of the tale.
■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000.
✽✽ Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates ●●●●●
Until Sun 17 Jan (not 18 & 25 Dec; 1, 4 & 11 Jan). Times vary. £12.50–£21.50 (£7.50–£18.50). A swashbuckling adventure from Qdos Pantomimes with parrots, peg-legs and barrels of laughs.
■ PLAYHOUSE 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660.
✽✽ We Will Rock You ●●●●● Until Sat 9 Jan (not 20, 25, 27 & 31 Dec; 1 & 3 Jan). Times vary. £16–£40. A run through all your Queen favourites in this musical penned by Ben Elton and members of Queen.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848. Peter Pan ●●●●● Until Sun 3 Jan (not 25 Dec; 1 Jan). Times vary. £11.50–£22.50. The Lyceum Christmas show is always a treat; this year join Peter Pan, the Darling family, the Lost Boys and that dastardly Captain Hook for a festive family show.
■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404.
✽✽ Zorro ●●●●● Until Thu 24 Dec (not 21 Dec). Times vary. £8–£16
(£5–£12; family ticket £19–£52). Who’s more festive than the masked and caped Spanish swordsman? No one, according to Visible Fictions and Traverse Theatre Company who have given him a family show make-over.
Outside the Cities
■ DUNDEE ICE ARENA Camperdown Leisure Park, Kingsway West, Dundee, 01382 608 060. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Ice Sat 19 Dec. Noon, 3.30pm & 7pm. £10 (£7). Dundee Ice Arena presents an icy rendition of Dick Van Dyke’s classic musical.
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530.
✽✽ A Christmas Carol ●●●●● Until Sat 2 Jan (not 20, 25 & 27
Dec; 1 Jan). Times vary. £14–£16 (£7.50–£11; family ticket £37). Dundee Rep Ensemble presents the classic seasonal tale of the miserly Scrooge (who now lives in Dundee) and his visits
94 THE LIST 17 Dec 2009–7 Jan 2010
www.list.co.uk/theatre
to you by Carnegie Hall and Alyson Orr. Suitable for ages 3+. ■ EAST KILBRIDE ARTS CENTRE Old Coach Road, East Kilbride, 01355 261000. A Christmas Carol Thu 17–Sat 19 Dec. 7.30pm. £8.50 (£6.50). A new adaptation of Dickens’ classic Christmas tale: watch Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and the three spirits shake up Ebenezer Scrooge’s miserly world view and bring a little Christmas joy into his shrunken old heart. Hogmanay Mon 28–Wed 30 Dec. 8pm. £8.50 (£6.50). A play by James Cameron Morton set in the Dean household as 1957 dawns, with songs, tears and laughter.
■ EAST KILBRIDE VILLAGE THEATRE Maxwell Drive, East Kilbride, 01355 248669. Humpty Dumpty Until Sat 19 Dec. 7.30pm (also Sat 2.30pm). £7 (£5). EK Rep Theatre Club presents the panto version of the story of the loveable and accident-prone egg.
■ MOTHERWELL THEATRE Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, 01698 403120. Jack and the Beanstalk Until Sun 3 Jan (not 22 & 25 Dec; 1 Jan). Times vary. £9.50–£12. This much- loved fairytale is brought to life with Dame Trott, Jack and Aggie the Highland Coo, by Spillers Pantomimes, who make their fourth visit to Motherwell this year after several past successes.
■ PERTH THEATRE 185 High Street, Perth, 07838 621031. Pinocchio Until Sat 2 Jan (not 20, 25 & 27 Dec). Times vary. £16.50–£18.50. Indulge in a spot of theatrical festive cheer with this new version of Carlo Collodi’s famous story about a naughty puppet whose nose grows every time he tells a fib. ■ RUTHERGLEN TOWN HALL 139 Main Street, Rutherglen, 613 5700. Robinson Crusoe Sun 27–Wed 30 Dec. Sun 6.30pm; Mon & Tue 2pm & 6.30pm; Wed noon & 4.30pm. £8 (£6.50). The Panto Company takes Defoe’s classic to the stage for a music and laughter-packed evening of entertainment.
■ BOWHILL THEATRE Bowhill House, Bowhill, Selkirk, 01750 22204. The Last Snow Rider Tue 29 Dec. 3pm. £8 (£6; family ticket £24). A modern fairytale about Freya, a Snow Rider in a world where the snow and ice are melting fast, and Jack, a boy who must employ courage and wisdom to travel to the Far North and save her.
■ BYRE THEATRE Abbey Street, St Andrews, 01334 475000. Mother Goose Until Sat 2 Jan (not 20, 25 & 27 Dec). Times vary. £10–£17.50 (£10). Traditional family panto fun as Mother Goose flaps around her golden- egg-laying chum. ■ MACROBERT University of Stirling, Stirling, 01786 466666. Sleeping Beauty Until Thu 31 Dec (not 20, 25 & 27 Dec). Times vary. £6–£14 (£6–£10). A brand new panto version of the fairy tale classic, with a love-struck Jester, alarming Prince Charming, contrary fairy and many more colourful characters for you to boo, hiss, laugh and shout at. The Night Before Christmas Until Thu 31 Dec (not 18, 21 & 25 Dec). See Kids listings. Peep Until Thu 24 Dec (not Mon). See Kids listings.
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ALADDIN King’s Theatre, Glasgow, until Sun 17 Jan ●●●●●
It’s almost as though there are two shows in the King’s latest panto, both representing enormously popular forms of light entertainment. Front and centre are regulars Gerard Kelly (celebrating, as the programme notes, 20 years of togetherness with that wig) and Widow Twanky par excellence Karen Dunbar, with excellent panto newbies Nicola Roy as gobby gal So- Shy and Gavin Mitchell in splendid form as the cackling baddie Abanazar. They’re the heart of the show, turning in warm, appealing and brilliantly dedicated performances rooted in music hall tradition that get the audience shrieking, whooping and singing along. Unfortunately, the King’s has increasingly started paying homage to the
most contemporary form of pantomime, the reality talent show. This year’s nominal hero is Any Dream Will Do graduate Keith Jack, as an Aladdin who seems to be just marking time between bum-numbingly boring ballad numbers. Frances Mayli McCann as love interest Princess Jasmine could possibly be a great performer; as it is she does her best with a part so underwritten it’s limp, and their love scenes suck any joy out of what is otherwise a thoroughly great show. Less of the Cowell-bothering high notes, more Dunbar doing Dolly Parton next year? Please? (Kirstin Innes)
from the three spirits, who open his eyes to the real meaning of Christmas. Fur Coat and Magic Knickers Thu 7–Sat 9 Jan. 7.30pm. £14 (£10–£12). MsFits comedy duo returns with a play about a shopaholic, her charity shop counterpart and a personal shopper. ■ WHITEHALL THEATRE 12 Bellfield Street, Dundee, 08717 029486. Dick Whittington Until Tue 22 Dec. 7.15pm; Sat 1pm & 5.30pm; Sun 2pm. £11–£13 (£9–£11; family ticket £42). A
new production of the classic tale performed by Downfield Musical Society. ■ CARNEGIE HALL East Port, Dunfermline, 01383 602302. The Snow Queen Until Sat 26 Dec (not 21 & 25 Dec). Times vary. £12 (£8–£12; family ticket £34). Pantomime version of the classic tale with a few extra comedy characters for Christmas – Reg the cowardly reindeer, and even a certain Mr Claus. Boo, hiss and cheer your way through this wintery wonderland, brought