’Tis the season to be jolly...

WITH panto season well under way, it’s high time we had a look at what’s on offer in the area — oh yes it is, etc!

This year Stratford ArtsHouse is working with professional company Reamba Productions to stage Aladdin, from 14th to 27th December.

It has a cast of well-known faces including Nigel Peever (Coronation Street) as baddie Abanazar, and Dave Lynn (Birds of a Feather) as the dame; and Stratford’s own Katie Maxwell stars as Princess So Shy, who comes to the role after winning Stratford’s Got Talent, the ArtsHouse’s competition to land a role in a professional pantomime production (box office 01789 207100).

Another princess not to be missed is Joanna Tidman, the BBC Coventry and Warwickshire presenter, who will be joining Stratford-based Tread The Boards theatre company at The Attic Theatre pantomime Beauty and The Beast, taking the starring role of Fairy Bowbells, working alongside award-winning funnyman, Marc Alden Taylor, former BRMB presenter Andrew Woolley, and dame, John-Robert Partridge.

It runs from 16th December to 8th January (box office on 07952 819557).

Another Tread the Boards production sees another BBC radio presenter join the cast. Trish Adudu stars as The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol at Albany Theatre in Coventry, from 8th December to 2nd January (box office 024 76998964).

For those with younger families, Julia Donaldson’s magical tale Stick Man is brought to the stage at the Warwick Arts Centre, from now until 31st December.

Touching, funny and utterly original, this award-winning production features a trio of top actors and is packed full of puppetry, songs, live music and funky moves (024 7652 4524).

Also fun for the whole family is Dick Whittington at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre, which runs until Saturday, 7th January (box office 024 7655 3055).

We loved it when we saw it and you can read our review at www.stratford-herald.com While there you can look at our review of Treasure Island at Birmingham Rep — another great family show which runs until 7th January (box office 024 7655 3055).

If it’s a blockbuster with big names you’re after, then the Birmingham Hippodrome is the place for you and yours.

Their Dick Whittington boasts West End star Danielle Hope, John Barrowman, Steve McFadden and The Krankies among the cast.

It runs from 19th December to 29th January (box office 0844 338 5000).

The Playbox Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland opens on 13th December and runs until New Year’s Eve, and is sure to be a magical treat full of innovation from the youth theatre group (box office 01926 419555).

The fairy tale of Rapunzel will be performed as a pantomime by Shottery Youth Theatre at Shottery Memorial Hall on 17th and 18th December, at both 2pm and 6pm.

Proceeds will be donated to Molly Olly’s Wishes charity, to support children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses and their families, to help with their emotional wellbeing.

Tickets £4 and £6 for adults and older children (box office 07792 464299). Lastly, one of our favourite nearly local must-sees is the Chipping Norton Theatre panto which is always quirky fun.

This year they are doing Robinson Crusoe and the Pirate Queen, from now until Sunday, 8th January (box office 01608 642350).