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A Jaffa Cake Musical
Is it a cake or is it a biscuit? That’s the juicy question at the centre of this jolly courtroom musical. Gigglemug’s comedy revisits the 1991 dispute between McVitie’s and HMRC, about whether the VAT charged on chocolate biscuits should be levied on Jaffa Cakes. Its catchy songs will stay with you long into the new year. Available from Lounges.TV along with Gigglemug’s Scouts! The Musical.
Beauty and the Beast
A tale as old as time gets the rock’n’roll panto treatment in Ipswich. There are live-streams of several matinees and evening shows at the New Wolsey this month, as well as one on Christmas Eve morning. Surely it’s never too early to sing along to Meat Loaf and Dolly Parton.
Sleeping Beauty
Nottingham Playhouse is one of precious few venues to traditionally offer an online panto. This year it’s written and directed by the theatre’s boss Adam Penford and promises a fire-breathing dragon plus local legend John Elkington returning as the dame. Available from 16 December.
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
You couldn’t wish for a livelier storyteller than Hammed Animashaun, an inspired choice for this theatrical reading of Roald Dahl’s tale about a boy’s dreams to open a sweetshop. Directed by Daniel Bailey, the Unicorn’s film has chatty puppets, lively songs and a vibrant design.
What’s Not to Love?
That title says it all: John C Reilly’s vaudeville show, which had a short run at Soho Theatre Walthamstow in November, is irresistible and finds him in character as Mister Romantic, wooing his audience with popular song. The accompanying album features numbers by Irving Berlin and Tom Waits.
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
Rick Riordan’s half-blood hero is back out on tour in January and the original London cast recording of Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki’s spirited rock musical recently landed online. Songs such as DOA, Killer Quest! and Bring on the Monsters are perfect for turning up to 11.
Kevrin, Out of Season
A young pregnant Cornish woman in need of accommodation moves into a couple’s holiday home in this intriguing two-hander by Jack Brownridge-Kelly, which slowly reveals the connections between the three. Filmed at the Burrell theatre in Truro, it’s on YouTube.
Guys and Dolls at Christmas
This’ll do nicely-nicely. For the BBC’s Drama on 3 strand, two of Damon Runyon’s stories – Dancing Dan’s Christmas and Three Wise Guys – are presented alongside Frank Loesser’s What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? sung by Jamie Parker, who played Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls in London and Chichester a decade ago.
