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Orchestra and the Edinburgh Grand Opera Chorus. girl (the delectable Princess Treat) along the way.
■ SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 3988. Wee Red Until Fri 24 Dec. See Kids listings.
■ SECC Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. Aladdin ●●●●● Until Sun 9 Jan (not 20 & 25 Dec, 1 & 4 Jan). Thu 16 & Fri 17 Dec 1pm & 7pm; Sat 18, Tue 21–Thu 23 Dec, Sun 26–Thu 30 Dec, Mon 3, Sat 8 & Sun 9 Jan, 2pm & 7pm; Sun 19 & Fri 24 Dec, Sun 2 Jan, 1pm & 5pm; Fri 31 Dec, 2pm; Wed 5–Fri 7 Jan, 7pm. £14–£27.50. John Barrowman takes centre stage in this big budget panto, also featuring the Krankies and a 3D genie. ■ THEATRE ROYAL 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. Scottish Ballet: Cinderella Thu 16, Sat 18, Thu 23 & Thu 30 Dec, 2pm & 7.30pm; Fri 17, Tue 21 & Wed 22 Dec 7.30pm; Fri 24 & Fri 31 Dec, 2pm. £9.30–£34. Scottish Ballet’s festive production directed by Ashley Page, set to the score of Prokofiev and performed by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. Free pre-show talks take place with Ashley Page on Thu 16 & Wed 22 Dec, 6.30pm and Richard Honner on Fri 17 Dec, 6.30pm.
■ TRAMWAY 25 Albert Drive, 0845 330 3501. Gender Divide Thu 16 & Fri 17 Dec, 7.30pm. £6.50 (£4.50). A new work by experimental youth performance collective Junction 25. ■ TRON THEATRE 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Flo White ●●●●● Until Sat 8 Jan (not 20 & 25 Dec, 1 & 4 Jan). Thu 16, Fri 17, Tue 21 & Wed 22 Dec, 10am & 7.30pm; Sat 18 Dec, Mon 27–Thu 30 Dec, Mon 3 & Sat 8 Jan, 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sun 19, Fri 24, Sun 26 & Fri 31 Dec, Sun 2 Jan, 1pm & 5pm; Thu 23 Dec, 5pm & 8pm; Wed 5–Fri 7 Jan, 7.30pm. £7.50–£16.50 (family ticket £36). An intergalactic new alternative panto by Gordon Dougall and Fletcher Mathers (Ya Beauty and the Beast and Mother Bruce) and the Tron Theatre Company. A Very Cosy Christmas Until Fri 24 Dec. See Kids listings.
EDINBURGH ■ BRUNTON THEATRE Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. Mother Goose Thu 16, Fri 17 & Mon 20–Thu 23 Dec, 10am & 7.30pm; Sat 18, Fri 24 & Mon 27–Thu 30 Dec, 2pm & 7.30pm; Fri 31 Dec, 2pm. £13.50–£15.75 (£10.50–£12.75 family ticket £46-£55). Traditional family panto fun as Mother Goose flies into Musselburgh.
■ CHURCH HILL THEATRE 33a Morningside Road, 529 4147. Humpty Dumpty Thu 16 & Fri 17 Dec, 7pm; Sat 18 & Sun 19 Dec, 2.30pm & 7pm. £9 (£7). Edinburgh People’s Theatre perform the annual Church Hill Theatre panto, this year chronicling the exploits of a careless egg and a wicked wizard who seeks to scramble his plans for a peaceful Christmas. ■ CRUISE LINER TERMINAL Ocean Drive West, Leith, 555 4104. A-lad-in Leith Thu 16 & Fri 17 Dec, 7.30pm; Sat 18 Dec, 2pm & 7.30pm. £7 (£5; under 3s free); Sat 7.30pm performance all tickets £10. Leith-set panto from the people behind Leith Festival, telling the rather familiar tale of a plucky lad tasked with saving his community from Abanazar the, er, evil Council worker, and trying to get the
■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. Jack and the Beanstalk ●●●●● Until Sun 23 Jan (not 20 & 25 Dec, 1, 4, 10 & 17 Jan). Thu 16 Dec, 7pm; Fri 17, Sat 18, Tue 21, Wed 22 & Thu 23 Dec, Mon 27–Thu 30 Dec, Mon 3, Wed 5 & Thu 6 Jan, 2pm & 7pm; Sun 19, Fri 24, Sun 26 & Fri 31 Dec, Sun 2 Jan, 1pm & 5pm. £11.50–£23.50 (£8.50–£20.50). The King’s annual festive theatre extravaganza returns, with old favourites Allan Stewart as Dame McTrot, Andy Gray as the King and Grant Stott as the dastardly Fleshcreep. ■ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. The Secret Garden ●●●●● Until Sat 8 Jan (not 20, 24 & 25 Dec, 1 & 2 Jan). Thu 16, Fri 17, Wed 22 & Sun 26 Dec, Mon 3 & Wed 5 Jan, 7.30pm; Sat 18, Tue 21, Thu 23 Dec & Mon 27–Thu 30 Dec, Tue 4 & Thu 6–Sat 8 Jan, 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sun 19 Dec, 1pm & 5pm. £8–£33 (£5–£30). Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel about a young orphan girl staying with her uncle who discovers a hidden walled garden is brought to the stage for Christmas, with popular Scottish actress Siobhan Redmond leading the cast as housekeeper Mrs Medlock.
■ NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS CENTRE 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Blingdarella Thu 16 & Fri 17 Dec. See Kids listings.
■ PLAYHOUSE 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660. Hairspray ●●●●● Until Sun 9 Jan (not 20, 25 & 31 Dec, 1 & 3 Jan). Thu 16, Fri 17, Thu 23, Sun 26, Mon 27, Tue 28 & Thu 30 Dec, Thu 6 & Fri 7 Jan, 7.30pm; Sat 18, Tue 21, Wed 22 & Wed 29 Dec, 2, 4, 5 & 8 Jan, 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sun 19 & Fri 24 Dec, Sun 9 Jan, 2.30pm. £18.50–£43.50. Michael Ball pulls off the turn of a lifetime in about a ton’s worth of prosthetics in the feel-good musical romp through the changing values of the 1960s. Expect fabulous outfits, catchy songs and the requisite towering barnets. ■ THE PLEASANCE THEATRE 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. The Gruffalo’s Child Thu 16 & Fri 17 Dec. See Kids listings.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848. The Snow Queen ●●●●● Thu 16 & Mon 20 Dec, 7pm; Fri 17 & Sat 18 Dec, Tue 21–Thu 23 Dec, Mon 27–Thu 30 Dec, 2.30pm & 7pm; Sun 19, Fri 24, Sun 26 & Fri 31 Dec, 2.30pm. £11.50–£23 (£5.75–£11.50). Another magical Christmas offering from the Lyceum, this year taking you to the chilly world of that wicked Snow Queen. Based on the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen and adapted by Stuart Paterson, join Kay and Gerda as they try to save the world from eternal ice. Captioned performance Sat 18 Dec 2.30pm.
■ THE STORE 37 Guthrie Street, 220 2987. The Eight: Reindeer Monologues Thu 16–Sun 19 Dec, 8pm. £10 (£8). A darkly comic festive tale from Jeff Goode about a sexual harrassment scandal at the North Pole. ■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain ●●●●● Until Fri 24 Dec. Thu 16 Dec, 10.30am & 7pm; Fri 17 Dec, 7pm; Sat 18 & Tue 21–Thu 23 Dec, 2.30pm & 7pm; Sun 19 Dec,
2.30pm; Fri 24 Dec, 2pm. £10.50–£13 (£5–£8; family ticket £15–£36). All for one, one for all, and all down to the Trav for this production of the classic swashbuckling tale. Be prepared for live music, laughter, sword fighting aplenty, plus the odd monster-eating baby.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
■ BYRE THEATRE Abbey Street, St Andrews, 01334 475000. Sleeping Beauty Thu 16 Dec, 10am & 1.30pm; Fri 17 Dec, 10am & 7.30pm; Sat 18 Dec, Mon 20 Dec–Fri 24 Dec & Sun 26 Dec–Thu 30 Dec, 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £15–£17.50 (£10). A panto version of the fairy tale classic, written by Johnny McKnight, with a love-struck Jester, alarming Prince Charming, contrary fairy and many more colourful characters to boo, hiss, laugh and shout at. ■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. Sleeping Beauty Thu 16, Sat 18 Dec, Wed 22–Fri 24 Dec, Mon 27–Fri 31 Dec & Sat 8 Jan, 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Fri 17, Mon 20 & Tue 21 Dec, 1.30pm & 7.30pm; Wed 5–Fri 7 Jan, 7.30pm. £9–£16.50 (£6–£12). See picture caption, page 100. BSL-interpreted performances Thu 16 Dec 2.30pm & Mon 20 Dec 7.30pm.
■ HOWDEN PARK CENTRE Howden, Livingston, 01506 777666. Rudolf Until Fri 24 Dec (not Sun). Thu 16 Dec, Mon 20–Thu 23 Dec, 10.30am & 1.30pm; Fri 17 Dec, 10.30am & 2.30pm; Sat 18 & Fri 24 Dec, 11am & 2.30pm. £6–£7 (£5.50). A delightful Christmas treat for ages 3–7
Theatre
and their families from kids’ theatre expert Andy Manley (co-creator of White). Two storytellers make use of a little house and a big dollop of imagination to introduce the tale of Rudolf, the reindeer who just doesn’t fit in. ■ MACROBERT University of Stirling, Stirling, 01786 466666. White Until Fri 24 Dec. See Kids listings. Mr Snow Until Fri 31 Dec. See Kids listings. Snow White of the Seven De’Wharffs Until Wed 5 Jan (not 19 & 25 Dec, 1 & 2 Jan). Thu 16, Fri 17 & Mon 20 Dec, 10.15am & 7.30pm; Sat 18 Dec, Tue 21–Fri 24 Dec, Sun 26–Thu 30 Dec & Mon 3–Wed 5 Jan, 2pm & 7.30pm; Fri 31 Dec, 2pm. £6.50–£14.50 (£6.50–£10.50). An unruly Snow White meets her match in musical nanny Maria Shut-Yon-Trapp in this hectic mash-up. A macrobert original with all the classic ingredients of family Christmas fun.
■ PERTH THEATRE 185 High Street, Perth, 01738 621031. Aladdin Until Sat 8 Jan (not 19, 25 & 26 Dec, 2 Jan). Thu 16 Dec, 10am & 7pm; Fri 17, Mon 20 & Tue 21 Dec, 1.30pm & 7pm; Sat 18, Wed 22–Fri 24 Dec, Mon 27–Fri 31 Dec, Sat 8 Jan, 2.30pm & 7pm; Sat 1 Jan, 4pm; Mon 3 Jan–Wed 5 Jan, 2.30pm; Thu 6 & Fri 7 Jan, 7pm. £16.50–£19 (£13.50–£16; children £11–£12.50; family ticket £49–£56). Everyone’s favourite genie- botherer comes to Perth for some old- fashioned seasonal larks. Expect boos, hisses and bad puns aplenty. Captioned performance Fri 17 Dec 2.00pm. BSL- interpreted performance Sat 18 Dec 2.30pm.
Family tickets just £60*
Evening News **** The Guardian **** The Herald **** Edinburgh Guide **** The Public Reviews **** TV Bomb ****
By Stuart Paterson From the original by Hans Christian Andersen
2–31 December 2010 BOX OFFICE: 0131 248 4848 GROUPS 10+: 0131 248 4949 www.lyceum.org.uk/snowqueen
* four Stalls seats, at least one Under 18, subject to availability
Company No. SC062065 Scottish Charity Registered No. SC010509 16 Dec 2010 – 6 Jan 2011 THE LIST 103