Panto is back at St Helens Theatre Royal this Christmas

St Helens Theatre Royal has announced the full cast for its Covid-secure Christmas pantomime for 2020, the enchanting tale of Beauty And The Beast.

Producers Regal Entertainments recently announced that the panto would still go ahead in St Helens this Christmastime, despite a change to the previously announced show.

Beauty And The Beast will now run at St Helens Theatre Royal from Friday 11 December 2020 through to Sunday 3 January 2021. Tickets are on sale now. 

The countdown is now on to bring Beauty And The Beast to life on stage in St Helens, with all the high production values and comedy that audiences have come to enjoy.

The highly anticipated show is sure to be a popular choice this festive season, especially given the lack of theatre productions over the last six months and audiences craving live entertainment.

Audiences are reassured that St Helens Theatre Royal and the team behind Beauty And The Beast will be fully adhering to social distancing measures and Government guidelines to ensure the safety of theatregoers, venue staff, cast and crew. 

St Helens Theatre Royal also reopened its telephone booking line this week, so tickets can be bought over the phone between 10am and 2pm from Monday to Thursday. Tickets can also be purchased online, however the theatre will remain closed for in-person bookings.

The full cast of Beauty And The Beast has been announced today (Tuesday 15 September) as Jamie Greer as Potty Polly; Abigail Middleton as Madame Botox; Scott Gallagher as French Frank; Olivia Sloyan as Belle; Andrew Geater as The Beast; Tim Lucas as Gaston; and Jenna Sian O’Hara as Fairy Rose.

The show will be directed by Chantelle Nolan, written by Liam Mellor, with choreography by Nazene Langfield, and Callum Clarke as musical supervisor. 

Get ready to go on a family adventure this Christmas with the fabulous family friendly pantomime, Beauty And The Beast. This is the timeless story of Belle, a beautiful young woman who falls in love with the most unexpected of princes, who has been cursed to look like a hideous beast. Will the Beast learn to love and be loved? Will the spell be broken in time for all to live happily ever after?

Theatre Manager Chantelle Nolan commented:

“It’s been a very challenging time for theatres nationwide and everyone who works behind the scenes, and St Helens Theatre Royal is no different. But we’re absolutely thrilled we can now announce a stellar cast of familiar faces and St Helens favourites who will take to our stage this Christmas to ensure the panto does go on, alongside our incredible front of house teams and production crews.

“Beauty And The Beast is a stunning tale full of friendship, faith, love and escapism – something we can all resonate with right now. Once again, we’d like to thank the community for their ongoing support, and we look forward to welcoming audiences to a special and safe festive family experience.”

Beauty And The Beast replaces the previously announced festive show Cinderella which should have featured Birds Of A Feather star and Loose Women panellist Linda Robson in the lead role. Government-enforced restrictions on theatres sadly made it unviable financially as the fairytale is one of the biggest and most costly pantomime productions to stage.

However, to continue its tradition of offering one of the region’s best festive family friendly shows, Regal Entertainments has worked tirelessly to ensure the show will go on to provide top entertainment to its community and regular attenders this Christmas.

Covid-secure safety measures being implemented include reduced capacity auditorium, temperature checks, the wearing of face masks, deep cleaning, and pre-order drinks and confectionery. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Cinderella ticketholders are being contacted to ensure all patrons are rescheduled as close as possible to their original booking.

Tickets for Beauty And The Beast are being sold as unreserved seats. Theatregoers will then be contacted to confirm seat allocation.

Beauty And The Beast runs at St Helens Theatre Royal from Friday 11 December 2020 to Sunday 3 January 2021. Tickets are on sale now. 

For more information please visit www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com