Thanks to a tremendous effort from Perth Theatre panto’s dame, Director and writer Barrie Hunter, and others, Jack and the Beanstalk will finish its run despite cast illness with COVID-19 leading to performance cancellations on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 December.

Understudies Tiger Mitchell and Tia Bobbi Henry will deliver the pivotal roles of Jack and the Baddie until the show’s planned finish on Saturday 31 December. Also stepping in to save the day as the Mysterious Man, is Peter Collins, who returns to Perth Theatre following his roles as Lord Hastings in 2018’s Richard III and Hector in 2019 panto, Sinbad.

Confirmed as ‘a joyous fixture of the seasonal landscape’ in The Times 4-star review, Jack and the Beanstalk had already outsold all previous Perth pantos two weeks before the end of the run.

Commenting on the good news that the panto will be able to continue, Nick Williams, Chief Executive of Perth Theatre and Concert Hall said:

“We always strive to give our audiences the best possible experience and we’re delighted to confirm that Jack and the Beanstalk will resume from Thursday 29 December until Hogmanay thanks to the incredible determination of Tiger, Tia, the remainder of the cast and new recruit Peter, who is rehearsing overnight. Ticketholders who have unfortunately missed out have been contacted directly with a range of options.

Perth Theatre panto has been an essential part of a Perth family Christmas for many years, so we were devastated to cancel these performances at such short notice. We appreciate that this was exceptionally disappointing for ticketholders, but it is equally important that our performers rest and recover, and we would like to send our best wishes and heartfelt thanks to the cast members who have been forced to pull out.

Whilst we’re remaining hopeful, should any further challenges arise, we will endeavour to notify visitors as soon as possible. We thank everyone for their continued support and understanding.”

Thursday 29 December 2022