Panto season is well and truly upon us…oh yes it is!
Pantomime dominates the live theatre scene this December so we will begin our roundup with our great friends at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
As a side-note, the Yvonne Arnaud has recently undergone a refurbishment programme and it’s looking as smart as paint, the café and bars are gleaming and the clever clogs designers have enhanced the bright and airy public areas while maintaining an intimate atmosphere.
This is THE traditional Guildford family panto venue, enjoyed by generations of Guildfordians and visitors, and this year’s show promises to be up there with the very best ever.
Beauty & the Beast stars Lucy Benjamin as Agatha the Evil Sorceress, proving that she picked up plenty of skulduggery tips from her time in Albert Square. Support comes from a hugely talented cast, with Ricky Oakley as the most handsome ‘Beast’ that we’ve ever seen and Clair Gleave as Belle.
We hesitate to suggest that the show may once again be stolen by local legends Peter Gordon and Matt Pinches as Madame Fifi La Fou Fou and Philipe Phalope. This unlikely duo came together at panto a few years ago and have since firmly established themselves as audience favourites. If you don’t know their day jobs, Peter ‘PG’ Gordon is a stalwart broadcaster on BBC Surrey while Matt is co-founder of the world renowned Guildford Shakespeare Company.
The show runs from November 29th to January 4th and we cannot begin to recommend it more highly, it really is a must see. You can book tickets here and thank us later!
We move on from the Guildford Family Panto to the Guildford Absolutely NOT Family Panto as the brilliant Guildford Fringe Theatre Company host their traditional 18+ Gagfest at The Star Inn on Quarry Street.
You will guess from the title Jack and his Giant Stalk that this is a salute to all things end of the pier innuendo and good old British smut (well, filth actually, their word not ours!).
Not for the easily offended, this is the latest in a long line of fabulously successful pantomimes from the (warped) minds of the Guildford Fringe Festival. You will need to leave your inhibitions at the door as the wonderful cast of West End and provincial theatre professionals blast you with jokes old and new, with plenty of double, and quite a lot of single, entendres.
Away from Pantomime, our wonderful neighbours over the road at G Live have a packed December of fabulous entertainment, with highlights including John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers straight from its sell-out run in the West End and starring Paul Nicholas as the Major.
Basil, Sybil, Polly and of course Manuel will be in Guildford from Tuesday 9th to Saturday 20th of December, and as we are sure you will appreciate, tickets are going fast, so get in now and do not miss out on this massively entertaining show.
A quick heads up for two fabulous nights of music on the 6th and 7th of January as the legendary Paul Jones brings his Friends to G Live. This is the 21st year of the all-star charity gig and while the line-up isn’t known until the night, in recent years Paul’s Friends have included Sir Tom Jones, Paul Weller, Eric Clapton, Sir Van Morrison and Jools Holland…Any wonder it sells out every year.