Scottish Theatre Highlights: December 2022
It's a very Christmassy theatre round-up this month, as pantomime takes over large chunks of Scotland's theatre scene in December
In addition to the usual smorgasbord of pantomime, December is bursting at the seams with inviting holiday theatre for audiences of all ages.
On the pantomime front, a wide variety of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs adaptations, new and old, are popping up all over Scotland. Edinburgh Festival Theatre's production runs 17 December-22 January, St. Andrew's Byre Theatre is running an adaptation by Gordon Barr 1-31 December, and Dundee's Whitehall Theatre has Graeme Neil Smith's version 10-23 December.
The Royal Lyceum is producing An Edinburgh Christmas Carol (24 Nov-31 Dec), which returns after a highly successful run in 2019. The Macrobert Arts Centre presents Maw Goose (2-31 Dec), and Perth Theatre will bring Jack and the Beanstalk to the holiday stage until 31 December.
But traditional pantomime isn't the only offering this month. Glasgow-based street theatre group Adrenalism bring their signature 'anarcho-slapstick' touch to A Very Crypto Christmas (12-13 Dec) at McNeills Bar. Off the beaten panto path, the show is a 40-minute satire followed by Christmas-themed karaoke.
The Southside Group (TSG), founded by Glasgow's The Occasion in 2020, provides adults with learning disabilities the opportunity to create and perform theatre. On 1-2 December, the group will finally perform in-person in front of a live audience for the first time in their adaptation of The Snow Queen at the Queen’s Park Govanhill Parish Church.
Cumbernauld Theatre at Lanternhouse is set to premier a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, co-produced with Visible Fictions. The show runs from 2-24 December. The company is also offering Life of the Party, a magical new show for children under five, from 3-24 December.
At Pitlochry Festival Theatre, audiences will have the opportunity to catch Peter Pan and Wendy, Janys Chambers' new adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic novel, until 23 December. Finally, Dundee Rep is set to premier a new musical adaptation of Cinderella, by Lynda Radley and Michael John McCarthy, which will run until 31 December.