King's Theatre Pantomime
The King's Theatre Pantomime is an annual pantomime production, that has been staged at the King's Theatre in Glasgow since 1971.
History[edit]
The pantomime at the King's Theatre in Glasgow has been running annually since 1971. Before that a few pantomimes were staged from 1964/65 after Glasgow Corporation bought the theatre from Howard & Wyndham Ltd. From the 1970s pantomime productions at the theatre were funded jointly by the City Councils of Glasgow and Edinburgh and staged in both cities.
Stanley Baxter, one of Britain's top pantomime dames, performed at the King's in the 1980s in Cinderella, which he wrote and directed. The management asked him to bring back the same production the following year. He refused, but said he might in "eight or ten years". He kept his promise and returned for his final pantomime appearance in 1991.
In 2005, the company First Family Entertainment took over production of the annual pantomime, and are now responsible for a dozen productions up and down the country. The current productions run during the festive period until mid January, totalling over 70 performances during the run, with two performances daily, six days a week.
Gerard Kelly was for 20 years a regular performer at the King's Theatre pantomimes, taking the lead comic role every year. Elaine C Smith appeared regularly between 1996 and 2005, and has since then been involved as an Associate Producer. During her time starring in the pantomimes, she often took on the role of dame, making the King's Theatre production somewhat unusual in having a woman playing the dame role, traditionally played by a man. Scottish comedian Karen Dunbar has taken on the leading female comic role in recent years; starting in 2007 as Nanny Begood in Sleeping Beauty, she then appeared in Cinderella in 2008, Aladdin in 2009, and again as Nanny Begood in 2011, she created the role of Mrs McConkey in Cinderella in 2012 and most recently appeared as The Slave of The Ring in Aladdin in 2013.
After Kelly's death in 2010, both Gavin Mitchell and Des Clarke have taken on the lead comic role a Buttons style character.
The 2014/2015 Season marks 50 years since the first pantomime at the King's, however this will only be the 47th pantomime to be staged here.
Productions[edit]
- 2018/2019 - Aladdin
- 2016/2017 - Cinderella
- 2015/2016 - Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
- 2014/2015 - Peter Pan, the 50th anniversary of the King's Pantomime.
- 2013/2014 - Aladdin
- 2012/2013 - Cinderella
- 2011/2012 - Sleeping Beauty
- 2010/2011 - Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
- 2009/2010 - Aladdin - starring Gerard Kelly - the last show before his death.
- 2008/2009 – Cinderella
- 2007/2008 – Sleeping Beauty
- 2006/2007 – Aladdin
- 2005/2006 – Cinderella[1]
- 2004/2005 – Mother Goose
- 2003/2004 – Sleeping Beauty
- 2002/2003 – Aladdin
- 2001/2002 – Babes in the Wood
- 2000/2001 – Cinderella
- 1999/2000 – Mother Goose 3 December 1999 - 22 January 2000 - Starring Gerard Kelly, Barbara Rafferty, Eileen McCallum, Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill,
- 1998/1999 – Sleeping Beauty 4 December 1998 - 16 January 1999 - Starring Elaine C. Smith, Jonathan Watson, Barbara Rafferty, Juliet Cadzow, Dave Anderson, Billy Boyd
- 1997/1998 – Aladdin 5 December 1997 - 17 January 1998 - Starring Elaine C. Smith, Gerard Kelly, Grant Stott
- 1996/1997 – Cinderella 6 December 1996 - 18 January 1997 - Starring Elaine C. Smith, Gerard Kelly, Barbara Rafferty, John Leslie, Grant Stott, Eileen McCallum, Jackie Farrell, Jan Wilson
- 1995/1996 – Babes In The Wood 14 December 1995 - 3 February 1996 – starring Cannon and Ball, Jimmy Logan, Grant Stott, Vivienne Carlyle
- 1994/1995 – Sleeping Beauty 8 December 1994 - 4 February 1995 - Starring Les Dennis, Gerard Kelly, Barbara Rafferty, Jonathan Watson, Jan Wilson
- 1993/1994 – Dick Whittington 2 December 1993 - 29 January 1994 - Starring Allan Stewart, Christopher Biggins, Jimmy Chisholm
- 1992/1993 – Aladdin 26 November 1992 - 30 January 1993 - Starring Gerard Kelly, Una McLean, Jonathan Watson, Emerson and Jayne
- 1991/1992 – Cinderella – 10 December 1991 - 22 February 1992 starring Stanley Baxter – his last ever stage performance
- 1990/1991 – Babes in the Wood – Starring Gerard Kelly, Iain McColl, Una McLean
- 1989/1990 – Mother Goose 28 November 1989 - 10 February 1990 - Starring Walter Carr, Gerard Kelly, Jan Wilson[2]
- 1988/1989 – Jack and the Beanstalk 29 November 1988 - 11 February 1989 - Starring Jimmy Logan, Una McLean, John Ramage
- 1987/1988 – Cinderella 23 November 1987 - 6 February 1988 - Starring Rikki Fulton, Walter Carr, Jan Wilson, Jackie Farrell
- 1986/1987 – Aladdin 24 November 1986 - 7 February 1987 - Starring Stanley Baxter
- 1985/1986 – Sinbad the Sailor 25 November 1985 - 8 February 1986. starring Johnny Beattie, Christian, Una McLean, Emerson and Jayne
- 1984/1985 – Sleeping Beauty - Starring Rikki Fulton, Walter Carr, Gregor Fisher
- 1983/1984 – Mother Goose - Starring Stanley Baxter
- 1982/1983 – Jack and the Beanstalk 29 November 1981 - 12 February 1982. Starring Jimmy Logan
- 1981/1982 – Babes in the Wood 30 November 1980 - 13 February 1981. Starring Rikki Fulton, Jack Milroy, Mary Lee, Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper
- 1980/1981 – Cinderella - Starring Stanley Baxter, Angus Lennie
- 1979/1980 – Sinbad the Sailor 3 December 1979 - 16 February 1980. Starring Christian, Johnny Beattie, Una McLean
- 1978/1979 – Aladdin - Starring Jimmy Logan, Peter Kelly
- 1977/1978 - Sleeping Beauty - Starring Rikki Fulton, Walter Carr, Una McLean, Margo Cunningham
- 1976/1977 - Jack and the Beanstalk - Starring Stanley Baxter, Peter Kelly
- 1975/1976 - Babes in the Wood - Starring Jimmy Logan
- 1974/1975 - Robinson Crusoe - Starring Rikki Fulton, Walter Carr, Una McLean, Tony Roper
- 1973/1974 - Cinderella - Starring Jimmy Logan
- 1972/1973 - Aladdin - Starring Denny Willis
- 1971/1972 - Mother Goose - Starring Stanley Baxter
- 1968/1969 - The World of Jamie - (Howard & Wyndham 'Scottish' Pantomime) - Starring Kenneth McKellar
- 1967/1968 - Aladdin - Starring Rikki Fulton
- 1964/1965 - A Wish for Jamie - (Howard & Wyndham 'Scottish' Pantomime) - Starring Kenneth McKellar, Johnny Beattie, Fay Lenore[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "THIS MONTH CAN MAKE OR BREAK A THEATRE. PANTOMIME IS A SERIOUS | Sunday Herald, The Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET". web.archive.org. June 15, 2011.
- ↑ "The List: 24 Nov 1989". The List Archive. November 24, 1989.
- ↑ "Memories: Panto in December, 1964". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- Book – Scotland's Splendid Theatres – ISBN 0-7486-6261-8 Search this book on
. - The Theatre Royal: Entertaining a Nation - published 2008 ISBN 978-0-9559420-0-6 Search this book on .
- TV Program – BBC Scotland, Celebrating 100 Years at the King's
- Official Pantomime Page
External links[edit]
- Aladdin 06/07 Pantomime Review The Stage
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