Plenty of festive fun and sparkle as panto returns to Buxton Opera House

James Holmes will return to play the Dame while Matthew Jay Ryan takes on the role of palace cleaner Jock. Photo - David John King

It might only be October but it’s never too early to plan for that festive family night out – and once again the perfect Christmas treat is on your doorstep.

Buxton Opera House’s much-loved pantomime is back, featuring a cast of friends old and new.

Buxton favourite James Holmes returns to play the Dame for the seventh time. This year he’ll be playing the mischievous Carabossy – an evil fairy with a sweet side whose spells always seem to go wrong! A familiar face on TV, James is best known for his many appearances as Clive in the award-winning TV comedy Miranda. Once again, he will be joined by another Buxton regular Matthew Jay Ryan. Matt will be playing Jock, the Palace cleaner ,who tidies up the debris left by Carabossy’s attempted spells and very messy boiling cauldron. Of course Matt can be will make sure that everyone boos, hisses and joins in the singing.

As always, the annual pantomime is produced and designed at Buxton Opera House so all the right ingredients for festive celebrations are guaranteed in this fabulous show. Expect the magic and sparkle for the perfect Christmas treat - side-splitting comedy, great songs, colourful dance routines and even a scary dragon!

Paul Kerryson, Chief Executive, Buxton Opera House, can’t wait to start rehearsals: “The annual pantomime is always a highlight on the Opera House calendar and we’re looking

forward to welcoming audiences for Derbyshire and beyond. Once again, we’ve lined up an action-packed show with all the ingredients needed for a magical Christmas treat and our panto cast can’t wait to be back in Buxton to celebrate the festive season with this great show.”

Sleeping Beauty runs from Saturday December 1o 2022 to Sunday January 1 2023.

There will be relaxed performance on December 14 and a BSL interpreted performance on December 28.

Tickets are on sale now. To find out more, and to book, see the website at https://buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/event/sleeping-beauty-2022 or call the box office on 01298 72190.