Great to be back for my eighth season at the beautiful Theatre Royal this year.
I love working with Jon (my favourite pantomime “son”),
and his version of Beauty & the Beast is my favourite pantomime too!
Thursday, 26 February 2026
Saturday, 13 December 2025
Jack & The Beanstalk Reviews
***** Review by Euan Rose
'Unmissable' Jack and the Beanstalk has 'all you want in a panto' comes to Malvern Theatres
I ALWAYS enjoy reviewing at Malvern Theatres, it has an atmosphere all its own – set as it is in beautiful grounds with the hills as a backdrop it never fails to bring a smile.
Principals in this splendid company all break through that audience fourth wall with blissful aplomb – after all everyone’s here on a mission to go home with sore throats from shouting, wet eyes from crying and aching ribs from laughing – happily Jack and Co do not disappoint. Cheeky-chappy Mark James returns to see his Malvern mates (‘Here we are’) as Silly Billy to guide us through the nonsense with his Lancashire lilt. Tom Lister is back too as the dastardly-dashing Flashcreep, a high energy villain (special shout out for his mean Freddy Mercury impression). Also returning is Nick Wilton as Dame Dot Trott making the most of her shocking frocks and irascible innuendos.
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MALVERN GAZETTE
MALVERN Theatres’ staging of Jack and the Beanstalk stands out as a remarkable example of contemporary pantomime.
It blends traditional elements with innovative theatrical techniques to deliver a memorable festive experience for audiences of all ages.
Tom Lister from Emmerdale delivered a standout performance as Fleshcreep the villain, balancing menace with charisma and engaging the audience throughout.
Mark James, a familiar face, excelled as Silly Billy, providing comic relief and ensuring the slapstick elements resonated with both children and adults.
Nick Wilton from EastEnders brought warmth and humour to the role of Dame Dot Trott, while Ella Holt’s portrayal of the Spirit of the Beans added youthful vitality and strong vocals to the ensemble.
Ruth Betteridge, as Fairy Jill Pickle, guided the narrative with charm and sparkle and Joshua Price embodied the titular hero Jack with enthusiasm and sincerity.
It is quite frankly the best pantomime I have ever seen!
Brian Owen reviewed the show on Thursday, December 11.
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Jack & The Beanstalk, Malvern
I’m really looking forward to spending my 26th Christmas playing Dame (my 18th with UK Productions) in Malvern; my last panto here was Aladdin in 2008. It’s going to be fun working with Mark and Tom again too;
Mark and I were in “Jack & The Beanstalk” in New Brighton in 2013,
and Tom and I were in Aladdin in Bath in 2024.
I got my first two pantomimes, playing Captain’s Mate in Dick Whittington (Theatre Royal, Plymouth) and Wishee Washee in Aladdin (Millfield Theatre, Edmonton) when I was doing Kids’ TV shows in the late 80’s, but it wasn’t until I was 40 that I decided I wanted to play pantomime Dame.
I think I
must have seen a documentary on TV and realised that it encompassed everything
I loved doing - acting, sketches (routines) and stand-up. It took three years
to persuade someone to let me have a go, and I’m really grateful to Joanna Read
(then running Salisbury Playhouse) for taking a chance with me. Then, as now, I
was inspired by the wonderful Chris Harris, who I worked with in my first panto
in Plymouth in 1987. Chris, sadly died in 2014 and I feel incredibly proud and
privileged to have stepped into his boots at The Theatre Royal Bath and have
been “resident” Dame there since 2015.
Nick won the Perrier award in Edinburgh with the Revue group “Writers Inc.” in 1982; he then spent 3 years with Jasper Carrott at the BBC; wrote sketches for T.V and radio shows; was kept busy on Kids TV, and starred in two Sony award winning radio series; he has featured in a good selection of TV Drama including 15 years popping up in Eastenders; performed in plays all around the UK, the Middle and Far East and on two P&O World Cruises; appeared naked in Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen for Specsavers; and has spent every Christmas since 2000 playing Panto Dame.
When he is not performing or writing about
himself in the third person Nick scoops ice cream from a vintage trike along
the prom in Whitstable, Kent.
Saturday, 14 December 2024
Snow White Bath 2024 - Reviews
The reviews are starting to come in …
And they’re looking pretty, pretty good.
Once again written by and starring local hero Jon Monie, alongside Dame supreme Nick Wilton, here is panto perfection, a fantastic, funny, fabulous, family-friendly fiesta of daftness and Christmasness all wrapped with every panto cliche you could want, and plenty more besides…
But of course, front and centre are Monie and Wilton, the thinking family’s Chuckle Brothers, a double act that just matures over the years and gets better each time out. Yes the jokes are corny and yes, you have seen some of the routines before, but then this is panto and it’s just what we want.
Back for his 25th year in panto, the dame, let’s call him Grand Dame Nick Wilton, is huge fun to watch. Dilly Donut’s clothes alone are hysterical – all pink and blues with monster bows and hearts aplenty, but it’s in Wilton’s immaculate sense of timing and his hints that the poor old thing is getting flustered by the pace that the real laughs come – a masterclass of buffoonery. His partnership with Monie is a great double act.
https://stagetalkmagazine.com/p/34994
Featuring a stellar cast led by Olivia Birchenough, Jon Monie, and Nick Wilton, this delightful panto delivers festive fun, laughter, and dazzling spectacle to audiences of all ages…
Adding a touch of flamboyant fun to the proceedings, Nick Wilton’ reprises his role as the dame and Muddles’ long suffering mum, delighting audiences with his larger-than-life personality and increasingly outrageous costumes.
https://www.globalmousetravels.com/bath-pantomime-theatre-royal-bath-review/
(Jon Monie) has established a great on-stage relationship with Nick Wilton as Dame, and with the addition of Emma Norman, this year making a welcome return as the evil Queen, we have a trio of star panto performers at the top of their game, earning lots of laughs, boos and hisses from the excited audience.
https://www.theftr.co.uk/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-bath-theatre-royal/
Bath favourite Jon Monie returns, in his element, as Muddles alongside Nick Wilton as Dame Dilly Donut.
The pairing is, as always, hugely successful with much laughter and fun along the way. Besides the classic ghost gag, Monie has written an astute parody of Park Life whilst The Twelve Days of Christmas is an absolute blast.
In keeping with Heritage City sensibilities, Christmas shows at TRB celebrate good old fashioned, proper pantomime tradition and offer audiences super-sparkly retellings of age-old fairy tales designed to brighten up the murky deep midwinter… and this year’s brazenly buoyant package ticks all the fabulous festive frivolity boxes…
TRB panto stalwart and writer Jon Monie (plays) Snow White’s best mate Muddles, his super-fast, quickfire asides and instinctive comedy timing aided and abetted by his long-term Christmas season cohort Nick Wilton as Muddles’ ma Dame Dolly Donut; if you’re looking for ridiculously raucous, rollickin’ good fun, Wilton proves, time and again, that there really ain’t nothing like a dame.
https://thebathmagazine.co.uk/theatre-review-snow-white-the-seven-dwarfs/
The comic duo of Jon Monie and Nick Wilton take centre stage as ever with silly jokes and asides to the audience with traditional routines given a new twist…
Monie plays Muddles, son to Wilton’s buffoonish Dame Dilly Donut, hilarious as ever and flamboyantly got up in a series of outlandish frocks.
Snow White is hilariously funny as panto season starts…
Nick Wilton who plays Dame Dilly Donut is another favourite, having stepped into the shoes of well known and loved Chris Harris, who sadly died in 2014.
Nick has really come into his own and the audience love him, especially his outrageous costume changes.
Panto packed with enjoyably silly moments with all the funny, crowd-pleasing moments that veteran pantomime duo Nick Wilton and Jon Monie (as Dame Dilly Donut and Muddles, respectively) have become well-known for by local audiences over many festive seasons.
Thursday, 28 November 2024
Thursday, 16 May 2024
Another Christmas in Bath!
Really looking forward to being back for my seventh season at The Theatre Royal Bath this Christmas to celebrate my 25th year playing Dame. As well as sharing the stage with the wonderful Jon Monie, it’s lovely to be working with Olivia Birchenough against (we filmed Jon’s online pantomime, Pantomonium at the Blackpool Grand in 2020); Emma Norman (who’s back again after her brilliant “Carabosse” in “Sleeping Beauty” last year); and Kieran Dumont playing head dwarf, Prof ( who I worked with in 2012 at the Assembly Rooms, Tunbridge Wells in his first panto).
Looking forward to making new friends too! Jon’s written another great script and there’s a lot of fun to be had.
Sunday, 10 December 2023
Sleeping Beauty Reviews
Daily Mail
And finally... Is a pantogood for us? Oh, yes it is!
And finally... Is a panto
good for us? Oh, yes it is!By Bel Mooney for the Daily Mail 22 Dec 2023
It was a mad and magical evening. For the first time ever we took our four grandchildren to the panto and enjoyed a precious evening of festive family fun.
My son and daughter were there, too, and all of us (me at 77, the youngest five) were merrily yelling at the stage (‘Look behind you!’), booing the Wicked Fairy, and laughing our socks off at jokes so bad they were hilarious.
One or two quips were gloriously non-politically-correct too, which just added to the adults’ delight.
The Theatre Royal Bath was the scene for this wacky Sleeping Beauty. So what if the budget is smaller than lavish pantomimes in Bristol or London and there are no big stars?
As an audience you warm to sheer verve and enthusiasm, wondering how on earth the cast can get up and perform for the second time that day.
Bath audiences have their favourites; for example, for 15 years, actor Jon Monie has played a leading comic role, and as hapless Lester the Jester he didn’t disappoint.
Year after year of panto, generations giggling helplessly, just as we were — and children growing up to understand how stock audience reactions like, ‘Oh yes, you are!’ pass into the collective consciousness.
I sneaked a peek along the line of the eight of us, adoring the expressions on the kids’ faces. The littlest one looked quite dazed at times, mouth slightly open, bemused at being encouraged to shout out and loving the whole spectacle.
This is what’s meant by the expression ‘making memories’, isn’t it? Of we four adults, I’d guess three thought they were only there for the children, and yet ended up having a terrific time for their own sakes. That’s the magic of old-fashioned entertainment.
Don’t we all need to boo the baddies and cheer the Fairy Godmother? Whoever you are, I hope you can conjure up a little Christmas magic this year. It’s there. Look behind you.
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Bath Echo
Nick Wilton as Nanny Nora is as glorious as ever alongside the excellent Monie; it is hard to find a better pair in panto.
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The Bath Magazine
Nick Wilton as Nanny Nora once again proves that, if you’re looking for ridiculously raucous, rollickin’ good fun, there really ain’t nothing like a dame: jocular, ridiculous, a tad Les Dawson-esque and dressed, in all scenes, in outfits of the worst possible taste.
Laden with lashings of good-natured good fun, dollops of wit and endless sprinkles of memorable magic, Theatre Royal Bath’s Sleeping Beauty is a spectacular Christmas wake-up call; an uplifting sparkly celebration in the midst of the murky deep midwinter… oh yes, it very much is.
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The Bath & Wiltshire Parent
Sleeping Beauty at The Theatre Royal Bath – fantastic festive family fun!
Christmas is here which means panto time at the Theatre Royal is back – and this year, it’s an absolute cracker!
Sleeping Beauty stars EastEnders’ and West End star Neil McDermott as Prince Vincent, Bath favourite Jon Monie as Lester the Jester, EastEnders’ Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora and Hollyoaks’ Sarah Jane Buckley as Fairy Snowfall. And across the board, the cast is just fantastic, delivering performances of real comedy and fun – just the thing for a pre-Christmas evening out!
From start to finish, Sleeping Beauty is comedy gold thanks to a top notch script by writer and silly man supreme, Jon Monie. The truly is every inch a panto classic, with all the traditions that you can imagine - oh yes there are - as well as new scenes and set pieces that will have you laughing in your seats. Add in great sets, a fantastic fairy, some surprise and very impressive special effects, plus the obligatory audience participation, and Sleeping Beauty is a ten out of ten surefire family hit. We loved it!
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The Fine Times Recorder
The essential requirement of pantomime is that it entertains and enchants, and the Christmas show at Bath’s Theatre Royal always does that, aided and abetted by the sheer magic of the venue, as the lights twinkle around the beautiful auditorium and the excitement mounts, all ready for the arrival of the heroes and heroines, goodies and baddies and the comics.
This year’s show, Sleeping Beauty, has been written by the perennial favourite knockabout and local boy Jon Monie.
Anchoring the show, as always in the Bath pantomime, are Nick Wilton as the loveable Dame Nanny Nora, and Jon Monie, this time as Lester the Jester.
The children in the audience loved the excitement and adventure of this re-telling of the Perrault tale, which is a spectacular celebration of the original.
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Stage Talk Magazine
This is a traditional panto with all the colour, music and fun you could want from a trip to the theatre with your family.
Graham Wyles. ★★★★☆
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Bath Chronicle
We all love Nick Wilton, he is just brilliant every year, and this year as Nanny Nora he is more outrageous and gaudily dressed than ever.
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Bristol Post
Nick Wilton, a firmly established regular as the Dame, wears one outrageous costume
and wigs after the other to the delight
of the young at heart audience.
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Global Mouse Travels
There’s no better way to usher in the festive season than by embracing the enchanting world of Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Royal Bath. This classic fairytale, reimagined with a touch of magic and a lot of laughter, is the perfect family show this Christmas, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
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Weston Daily Press
A Christmas cracker of a panto in Scriptwriter Jon Monie’s reworked tale of the power of true love. Jon himself takes to the stage as Lester the Jester alongside iconic panto mum Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora. The pair are as hilarious as ever, their comic antics often played as a threesome involving the King (David Pendlebury) ,fussy old father of the Princess.
Monday, 27 November 2023
Saturday, 21 October 2023
Back in Bath
Thrilled to be back in Bath this Christmas – Full cast now announced for “Sleeping Beauty”.
The fabulous family pantomime at Theatre Royal Bath promises a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunning sets, top musical hits, fantastic costumes and exciting special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained! EastEnders’ and West End star Neil McDermottwill play Prince Vincent alongside Bath favourite Jon Monie as Lester the Jester, EastEnders’ Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora, Hollyoaks’Sarah Jane Buckley as Fairy Snowfall and Maisie Sellwoodas Princess Rose.
Thursday, 15 December 2022
Review - Globalmouse Travels
The magic of panto is back with Aladdin at Theatre Royal Bath
It’s time to welcome panto back to Bath and the brilliant new production of Aladdin is bringing Christmas cheer to Theatre Royal Bath, complete with magic lamps, genies and a whole lot of laughs.
Starring Emmerdale’s Tom Lister as the evil Abanazar, this family favourite tale sees Aladdin go from rags to riches on a wondrous fun filled adventure, which features Bath favourites Jon Monie as Wishee Washee and Nick Wilton as Widow Twankey.
This is a hilarious and magical production for the whole family which will fill you with Christmas cheer. Alongside Wishee Washee and Widow Twankey’s hilarious routines this production is packed with songs and dance routines, great costumes and lots of audience participation.
The cast is filled with the talents of Alex Aram who is a fun and dynamic Aladdin, alongside Kaysha Nada as Princess Jasmine. Audiences will also love Maddison Tyson who plays the Genie brilliantly and brings a touch of magic to the proceedings.
We love that Theatre Royal Bath pantomime productions also give a chance for young stars to shine with dancers from Bath’s Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance bringing lots of energy to the stage.
This new production joins a long line of pantomimes which have been staged at Theatre Royal Bath, which date back over 200 years and once saw the 19th century comic Joseph Grimaldi taking to the board and performing in Mother Goose. This year’s panto is also written by Wishee Washee star John Monie, who has appeared at the Theatre Royal over 1100 times with this marking his 20th season in Bath.
This is a brand-new telling of the classic story and in true pantomime tradition there’s plenty of comedy, slapstick and amazing effects which the whole family will love.
Tuesday, 13 December 2022
Review 8 - Fine Times Recorder
MANY years ago, we used to read theatre or opera reviews by the great critics of the day, who would ccompare the latest actors or shows to people long gone. And it used to drive us mad! Now, after decades of reviewing and reporting, we realise we risk doing it, so we try not to.
But while it would be a bit infuriating for some readers if we kept talking about stars of the past, what this long history of theatre and concert-going does do is give perspective. When we say a performer or play or show or performance is great, we are comparing (in our memories) so many things we have seen. How many Hamlets – and yet there is always room for another angst-ridden young Dane!
And so it is with pantomime – oh yes it is! (Sorry, that was so predictable!) We can look back to the late great Chris Harris or Jack Tripp and look at their successors, and congratulate ourselves that we have been lucky enough to see these legends in their heyday and now enjoy the dames and knockabouts and villains of today.
Bath is fortunate indeed in Jon Monie – rubber-faced, multi-talented, genuinely a very funny man who has become not only Bath’s own clever pantomime writer, but one of the country’s best. In his regular knockabout role, this time as the hapless Wishee Washee, he holds the whole audience, from toddlers to great-grandparents, in the palm of his hand! He knows just how to coax shy children to speak or even sing and he can fill in any awkward gap or lost cue.
Bath is also fortunate in Nick Wilton, a dame in the Jack Tripp tradition, sweet-natured and constantly surprised at the pitfalls and accidents that befall his family. You just want to hug him! Here he is in his element as one of the most endearing dames – Widow Twanky, always on the look out for love, and hopelessly trying to keep her adventurous son under control and her useless son employed!
The triumph of this year’s pantomime is completed by Tom Lister as one of the most handsome Abanazars ever, and he’s also VERY funny. His interactions with the audience are a lot more than mere boos. He is bad, very bad, very very BAAAD … and loving every minute.
This is a lively retelling of a familiar story, with a feisty Spirit of the Ring (Amy Perry) and an exuberant Genie (Maddison Tyson). Michael Chance makes a welcome return to Bath, this year as the Emperor, and Kaysha Nada makes her professional debut as his daughter, Princess Jasmine. Alex Aram is energetic and courageous as Aladdin.
Lots of good songs, plenty of opportunities to clap or even sing along, a change from the usual audience song routine before the wedding walk-down, spectacular costumes and lots and lots of laughs … whatever you want from pantomime you will find it at Bath Theatre Royal, where Aladdin runs to 8th January.
FC
Photographs by Freya Turland
Review 7 - The Bath Magazine
Words by Melissa Blease
Theatre Royal Bath until Sunday 8 January
In 1788, Irish actor John O’Keefe dramatised an ancient Middle Eastern folk tale, laden with allegories based around the abuse of power, the misuse of supernatural forces and the enduring effects of love, and adapted it for ‘modern’ audiences. And so it came to pass that, centuries later…
In recent decades, the fable’s popularity enjoyed a major resurgence, bolstered by the success of the spectacular 1992 Disney film version. Last year, Aladdin beat both Sleeping Beauty and Snow Whiteto top UK Theatre’s Nation’s Favourite Panto survey, joining Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk in the top three faves and further confirming the story’s iconic status – and it isn’t difficult to work out why: fast-paced, slightly surreal, exuberant, vibrant and funny, Aladdin, his magic lamp and a Genie offers multi-generational appeal.
But despite all the magic and sparkle that really, really good classic panto delivers (and to say that this year’s Theatre Royal Bath production has plenty of both would be an understatement), the script that the bonds the whole extravaganza together is the star of the show – and yet again, award-winning actor and writer Jon Monie (who celebrates his 20th Christmas show at Theatre Royal Bath this year) has delivered in spades, blending good old fashioned, proper pantomime tradition with enough of a contemporary spin to keep contemporary attention levels up throughout.
Monie stars in the show too, as Widow Twankee’s delightfully dim son Wishee Washee; the quick-fire repartee between son and mum (Nick Wilton, a very grand Dame indeed) is the gift that keeps on giving throughout the whole, superbly silly extravaganza.
Tom (Emmerdale) Lister brings lashings of dashingly handsome, suitably camp boo-hiss to his Abanazar, Kaysha Nada is a perfect Princess Jasmine, Amy Perry’s pragmatic Spirit of the Ringkeeps multiple flights of fancy grounded, Maddison Tyson is an utterly swoonsome Genie… and Alex Aram in the title role takes the whole audience with him on his rather complicated journey from zero to hero. But ultimately, this big jolly Christmas outing comes to us courtesy of one big energetic ensemble including a live orchestra in the pit and an all-age assortment of high-voltage Dorothy Coleborn School dancers, all bought together with lashings of good-natured good fun.
Not a fan of pantomime? Oh yes you are! If, that is, you allow Theatre Royal Bath’s annual festive feast to work its time-honoured magic.
Tickets available from theatreroyal.org.uk
Photography credit: Freia Turland
Monday, 12 December 2022
Review 6 - Wiltshire Times
Aladdin at Theatre Royal Bath is an absolute cracker
HE’S one of the best pantomime baddies in the business and boy does he make the most of his villainry!
Tom Lister is back on stage at Bath’s Theatre Royal after a six-year gap playing the evil Abanazar in its festive panto Aladdin – and it’s an absolute cracker!
Boy does he make the most of his character, after winning Best Villain at the inaugural Great British Pantomime Awards in 2016 for his role as Captain Hook!
He’s mean, he’s evil, and he clearly relishes a role that combines a fair dollop of melodramatic nastiness with boo-ability and a series of magic tricks involving doves and budgies that don’t quite work out.
He is one of the stars of a show that somewhat surprisingly contained more than a fair share of adult jokes, innuendos and risqué humour than I was expecting but it was all done in the best possible taste.
One of the most popular pantomimes of all, Aladdin is the thrilling story of a boy from a poor background, a magic lamp and a genie that has kept audiences spellbound for generations.
Families visiting this Christmas can look forward to a fun-packed performance full of topical jokes, slapstick comedy, singing, dancing, a sprinkling of special effects, beautiful costumes and sets and plenty of audience participation.
This year’s script has once again been written by local favourite Jon Monie, from Holt - now in his 20th season at the Theatre Royal - who also plays Aladdin’s idiotic brother, Wishee Washee.
He positively cruises through the production like a swan, while providing the perfect foil to Nick Wilton, returning for his fifth season as pantomime Dame Widow Twankey in her high heels, colourful socks and outrageously extravagant gowns.
The three main characters are more than ably supported by Amy Perry as an enchanting Spirit of the Ring, and Maddison Tyson, who just about steals every scene he is in as a camp Genie of the Lamp.
The young lovers Alex Aram as the Widow’s son Aladdin, and Kaysha Nada as the delectable Princess Jasmine, possess the looks and good singing voices, while Michael Chance is a suitably stern Emperor whose main concern in life is money.
The ensemble of backing dancers/singers gave it their all, and the children from the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance were absolutely charming.
The Bath pantomime is renowned for being a traditional, family-friendly show that depends on clever scripts and solid stage performances without having to rely on expensive high-tech lighting and sound wizardry and special effects.
This year is no different: the perennial bench and ghost sketch is still in, but there were one or two departures from previous years, including magic tricks at the end for the children invited on stage.
For the adults, there’s a very risqué but tastefully done scene involving Aladdin and Wishee Washee dressed up like the Marx Brothers playing piano keys without using their hands.
The script also contains some topical references to parties at No.10 Downing Street, a reference to a certain Royal docuseries on Netflix, a threat to banish one of the characters to Melksham, and one or two jokes at the expense of Bath parking and local residents.
Jon Monie’s script keeps to the panto tradition, while adding in some fresh material, and certainly kept Saturday’s matinee audience thoroughly entertained.
All in all, Aladdin contains just the right amount of festive fun, frolics and comedy to put you in the right spirit for Christmas.
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