Join the Eggs-trava-gander!

Tweedy is taking on his biggest challenge yet in this year’s Everyman panto ‘Mother Goose’, but the Cheltenham theatre has got plenty more surprises up its sleeves for the new season

Cue the drum rolls, the fanfare and the excitement as The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, unveils its autumn and winter season this September with some fantastic family productions set to delight and challenge children aged 3 to 103. At the heart of it all, of course, is the family pantomime, a tradition that seems to get stronger with every year, much of it driven by Gloucestershire’s beloved clown, Tweedy. So often the supporting character in his many productions, this year Tweedy moves centre stage to play the title role of Mother Goose – yes, a dame! - in a show which also features Jessica Martin as the Bad Fairy, Dominic Treacy, as Mother Goose’s son Caleb (whose elder brother will be named Clarkson…) and Bree Smith as the Fairy. We can’t give you a picture of Tweedy in character now, as the first glimpse of his costume will be on the show’s opening night, but rest assured it will be dazzling and outrageous. Mother Goose runs in the Everyman’s Main House from Fri 24 Nov to Sun 7 Jan, so buy your tickets now and don’t miss Tweedy in this crackin’ panto egg-strava-gander.

But panto isn’t the only treat at the Everyman this season. Rolling into town this coming half term is ‘Madagascar The Musical’, based on the smash DreamWorks animated movie, which follows all of your favourite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar. Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at the zoo but he and his friends Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo have spent their lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided. Throw in some hilarious, plotting penguins and you have the musical adventure of a lifetime, filled with outlandish characters, adventure and a score to make you ‘Move It, Move It!’.

While ‘Mother Goose’ is the big draw for Christmas, the Everyman caters for all tastes and ages this festive season with two more seasonal shows sure to entertain audiences with their heartfelt, heart-warming stories. A new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale ‘The Ugly Duckling’ is bound to delight children aged from 3 to 7 with its story of an outsider who’s awkward, scruffy and not like his delightful and charming brothers and sisters at all – until, of course, something extraordinary happens.

There’s an equally extraordinary transformation in the Everyman’s adaptation of another seasonal classic, Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, in which the infamously miserly Scrooge comes to learn that Christmas is a time for giving and not for moaning about your staff taking time off to be with their loved ones. Adaptations of the story can sometimes be a bit gloomy, but this one is sure to light up the whole family’s Christmas.

And while it’s a way off yet, there’s something huge to look forward to in March – namely the huge-est ogre of them all, Shrek. The Broadway and West End smash hit musical based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film comes to the theatre in March with a top-notch cast of West End stalwarts that will have you dancing and laughing all the way home.

Madagascar The Musical Tue 31 Oct-Sat 4 Nov

Mother Goose Fri 24 Nov-Sun 7 Jan

A Christmas Carol Sat 25 Nov-Sat 30 Dec

The Ugly Duckling Thu 30 Nov-Sat 30 Dec

Shrek The Musical Tue 12-Sun 17 Mar

W: www.everymantheatre.org.uk