Jack and the Beanstalk breaks panto records in Newcastle

Figures released this week reveal that Jack and the Beanstalk, the Theatre Royal Newcastle’s 2013/14 pantomime, has broken all previous records to become the most successful pantomime in the Theatre’s 176 year history. What’s more, over 36,000 tickets have already been sold for next year’s show Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which will mark Clive Webb and Danny Adams‘ tenth anniversary at the theatre.

Tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk went on sale in November 2012 to meet high demand, and got off to an auspicious start when it opened on 26 November 2013 with sales in excess of £1million. Now, over 90,000 tickets have been sold with three weeks of the run still to go until the final performance on Saturday 18 January. Last year’s show Aladdin was the Theatre’s most popular ever show, and Jack and the Beanstalk has now beat it by some margin.

The Theatre Royal pantomime starts earlier than any other in the region, runs for the longest and year after year continues to be the fastest selling pantomime in the country. They are also among the few pantomimes in the UK which don’t usually feature a TV or celebrity name, and owe their enduring popularity instead to the talents of father and son comedy duo Clive Webb and Danny Adams, opulently dressed Dame Chris Hayward and visionary producer Michael Harrison.

Michael is one of the world’s leading lights in pantomime, and has pulled out all the stops in terms of lavish design and production values for Jack and the Beanstalk. The show features the latest animatronic technology, pyrotechnics, a 3D adventure and can’t-believe-your-eyes onstage magic. Multi award-winning pantomime legends Adams and Webb are back once again by overwhelming popular demand with more of their hilarious comedy antics – playing Jack Trot and Farmer Trot respectively, and supported as always by the country’s best dressed Dame, Chris Hayward, in his 29th panto appearance, this time as Dame Rita Trot.

Tickets for next year’s panto Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs went on sale the same day that Jack and the Beanstalk opened and already over a quarter of all available seats have gone.

Jack and the Beanstalk continues at the Theatre Royal Newcastle until 18 January.