2009 Christmas Brings Swashbuckling Edinburgh Pantomimes

It's probably too early to be talking panto already. Oh no it isn't! The nights are drawing in, and theatre's starry spangled season of loud-coloured sets, men in dresses, leggy boys, raucous bouts of audience participation and, likely, lashings of innuendo to keep the older folk in the audience involved in the proceedings is on its way.
As always christmas shows in Edinburgh's main theatres draw from time-honoured classics. There's a few variations on the traditional theme of the Victorian pantomime, but at heart it's all family fun and winter cheer.

If there's a theme to this year's pantos it's a swashbuckling one. In the Royal Lyceum's Peter Pan, the wicked Captain Hook and his pirate crew do battle with the boy who can fly and friends.

There's more pirates and sword fights at the King's Theatre as Allan Stewart pulls up his skirts as Mrs. Crusoe and crosses cutlasses with Grant Stott's evil Pirate.

The Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh also has a nautical theme with Liam Rudden's localised "Sinbad The Pantomime Featuring The Little Mermaid".

Meanwhile, at The Traverse Theatre – what's this? A myserious man in cape and mask scratching ‘Z’s in the snow? Yes, it's Zorro, transposed from Mexico to Edinburgh. Not the most obvious character for a christmas show perhaps, but certainly a more swashbuckling one you'd be hard pressed to find.

For those who want to forego the mega decibel levels of hundreds of screaming children perhaps the most grown-up show in Edinburgh this christmas season is The Corstorphine Road Nativity at the Festival Theatre.

The Festival Theatre’s first home grown in-house production is a comedy by Calendar Girls writer Tim Firth. It's set in the fictional but recognisable Corstorphine Road Primary School in Edinburgh where all the parts in the annual school nativity play are performed by adults. We see the dramas and mishaps that happen as they prepare for the big night.

If this is all too christmasy for you, then Ben Elton and Queen's futuristic story We Will Rock You is at The Playhouse over the festive period. The touring production features over 24 of Queen's songs.

Over the 4-day Edinburgh's Hogmanay, there's also the specially commissioned tartan-tastic dance show Off-Kilter at the Festival Theatre, which showcases a fusion of global dance styles and scottish music.

Panto reviews will be posted on EdinburghGuide.com as the shows open. For now here's a few more details.

Sourse: edinburghguide.com