Oh yes it is! Your Christmas am-dram pantomime round-up with Alison Norton

As I am sure you will agree, Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge is one of the most deserving local charities. Each year, their resident pantomime group perform an outstanding show, and this year, it is Peter Pan, which runs from February 15-22 at Stourbridge Town Hall.

This is the fifth panto they have performed, to date raising over £85,000 to support patients and families at the hospice.

West Midlands celebrities also take part in the show and this time, audiences can look forward to no less than three stars, including Christopher Maloney, star of X-Factor and Big Brother, who is taking the role of the evil villain, Captain Hook, Gogglebox favourite Sandi Bogle and children’s entertainer Wally Wombat.

Director Will Phipps is also playing the comedy role of Mr Smee in the show.

Will told me: “The tickets are selling very quickly into February half term, with prices starting at just £12.50. Obviously all profits from the pantomime will go straight to Mary Stevens Hospice.”

So, are you “hooked?” If so, you can book tickets online at Dudley Borough Halls or by calling the hospice fundraising team on 01384 377 778.

Over in Shropshire, The Little Theatre Donning is also presenting Peter Pan, this time from January 21-22 and on January 28.

Although this is a much smaller affair than the Mary Steven Hospice pantomime, it promises to be just as appealing and is very affordable at just £7 per ticket or £25 for a family of four.

Visit thelittletheatredonnington.co.uk or call 01952 407959 for tickets.

Meanwhile, over in Perton, although Covid took its toll, the ever-popular Harlequin Pantomimes, who perform at the Civic Centre is delighted to be treading the boards again after a three-year absence and this time, they are presenting Cinderella from January 19-22.

This popular group has been performing to local audiences for over a decade and cannot wait to bring a smile to the faces of their loyal supporters again.

They always present a fun, topical show, with resident dame, Paul Bowman at the helm.

The transformation scene in Cinderella is a rare treat and as I am going to see this panto, I am interested to see how they pull it off. In professional pantomime of course, they have expensive props, scenery and lighting effects to create the magic, but if I know Harlequin, they will still manage to delight the little ones, as a pumpkin transforms into a coach, mice become footman and the heroine, played by Abbey Sellick goes from rags to riches and becomes a beautiful princess before our very eyes! For tickets priced at £15, visit seaty.co.uk/harlequincinderella

Another group presenting Cinderella is Birmingham Youth Theatre, at the Crescent Theatre in the city from January 13-15.

Grab your tickets now and you shall go to the ball. Visit crescent-theatre.co.uk or call 0121 643 5858 to book.

At the Oldbury Rep Theatre, you can catch the resident group’s production of the pantomime favourite, Aladdin from January 13-21.

In the village of One Long Poo (controversial, but even so, very funny!) Aladdin dreams of marrying the beautiful Princess Jasmine, but as a lowly peasant boy, he can never hope to fulfil his dream, or can he? Jump on that flying carpet and find out for yourselves! For tickets, visit oldburyrep.org or call 0121 552 2761.

For those of you who prefer to forget about pantomime after the festive season is over, there are other shows to look forward to; more to follow on my next report, but for now, at the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton from January 10-14, Wolverhampton Youth Music Theatre will present the teen edition of the hit West End smash musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

This must be the first amateur version of the show in this area and I can wait to see it.

Schoolboy Jamie dreams of becoming a drag queen, but how will his family and pals take it?

Based on a true story, this musical really entertains in every way. It will make you laugh out loud and shed a tear in equal measure. In short, it is just an absolute delight! For tickets visit wlv.ac.uk/arena-theatre to book.

That’s all for now, but I will be back in the New Year with more am dram news. Send me details of your shows to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Break a leg!