Opening: Get Santa!, Old Vic Flea & Beauties

OPENING TONIGHT, Monday 13 December 2010 (previews from 1 December), Anthony Neilson writes and directs the
Royal Court’s first ever family Christmas show, Get Santa!,
in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Running until 15 January 2011, it
centres on a girl who plans to trap Santa and make him give her the only
gift she’s ever wanted – to meet her real Dad.

ALSO TONIGHT, panto season continues with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Shaw Theatre, which stars Nicole Faraday, Danny Rhodes, Madeline Duggan and Wayne Gordon and continues to 3 January 2011.

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OPENING TUESDAY, 14 December 2010 (previews from 4 December), Richard Eyre’s revival of French farce A Flea in Her Hair, starring Tom Hollander and Lisa Dillon, opens at the Old Vic. The production, which runs until 5 March 2011, lures Eyre back to the Old Vic for the first time since he helmed Trevor Griffiths’ Comedians there in 1974.

ALSO ON TUESDAY, Potted Panto, the latest offering from CBBC children’s TV presenters Dan and Jeff (aka Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner), opens for a festive run at the Vaudeville Theatre. Continuing until 9 January, it runs concurrently with the Vaudeville’s main-slot production, Lindsay Posner’s revival of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband.

ALSO ON TUESDAY, Galleon Theatre Company revives Oscar Wilde’s comedy A Woman of No Importance at Greenwich Playhouse, where it continues until 16 January 2011.

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OPENING WEDNESDAY, 15 December 2010 (previews from 10 December), Beasts and Beauties, adapted by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and dramatised by Tim Supple and Melly Still (who directs and designs), recreates eight funny and deliciously dark fairy tales for the family. Until 31 December.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, Flyboy is Alone Again this Christmas, a collection of “romantic science-fiction shadow-operas” is performed by west country artist and musician Matthew Robins and an onstage band at the Barbican, continuing until 2 January 2011.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY (previews from 4 December), Theatre Royal Stratford East presents its panto Red Riding Hood, written by Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman, the same team behind last year’s Aladdin. Until 22 January 2011.

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OPENING THURSDAY, 16 December 2010 (previews from 14 December), David Farr‘s production of The Winter’s Tale, starring Greg Hicks, continues the Royal Shakespeare Company’s ten-week residency at the Roundhouse, running in rep until 5 February 2011.

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OPENING FRIDAY, 17 December 2010, Gleemania, a concert inspired by the smash hit US TV show Glee, featuring ten singers from The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Pop Idol and Last Choir Standing, premieres at Hammersmith’s HMV Apollo.

ALSO ON FRIDAY, after last year’s star-turn from Pamela Anderson, her Baywatch co-star David Hasselhoff plays Captain Hook in Peter Pan alongside Pineapple Studios’ Louie Spence (as Roger the cabin boy) in this year’s New Wimbledon Theatre panto, which continues until 16 January.