WITH THE festive season almost upon us expat minds will doubtless be turning to British Christmastime traditions, and what is more classically British at this time of year than a Panto?
Those clever people at Lythgoe Family Productions have done us proud in recent years with a succession of entertaining, fun-filled British pantos and this year is no exception with The Wonderful Winter of Oz, starring Kermit the Frog, no less, which runs December 15-30 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
Joining Kermit are singer, actress and dancer Mackenzie Ziegler as Dorothy, Tony-Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur as Glinda, Phil LaMarr as The Tin Man, Jared Gertner as The Scarecrow, and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as The Wicked Witch of the West.
The holiday version of America’s favorite fairy tale sees Dorothy gets swept away by a ‘freak’ Kansas blizzard on Christmas Eve before landing in a world of munchkins and witches. With songs from Imagine Dragons to Earth, Wind and Fire, the show promises to provide the perfect family experience for local audiences.
The production will be directed by Bonnie Lythgoe and choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo, with book by Kris Lythgoe and Michael Orland (of American Idol) serving as musical arranger and supervisor.
The Lythgoes are best known on this side of the pond for the television hits “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” and are dedicated to bringing affordable theatre to families across America. Based on the Grimm fairytales and others, each story has been modernized with topical scripts for parents and well known pop songs for kids. In 2017 over 6000 title 1 students were introduced by the Lythgoes to live theatre, through the medium of Panto.
Tickets start at $40 and Family Four Packs for just $99 can be purchased at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, online at thepasadenacivic.com or by calling 626-449-7362. Golden Tickets, which allow the ticket holder (children ages 4 – 12 only) a special on-stage experience during the production, are available for an additional $75.00 each. This will be the seventh holiday season of Lythgoe Family Panto in Pasadena, and the second at the Pasadena Civic.
