The joy when our favourite Pantomimes and festive shows returned was clear to see. It was like a touch of normal life had returned.
Families were able to go to the theatre together and boo, hiss and cheer in equal measures. We have reviewed most of the main shows across South Wales, and the biggest joy for us, was seeing the fun and escapism this brought to every member of the audience. To see the faces of parents light up as kids let themselves disappear into a whole new world, was as magical as the show on stage.
For the performers too, this year felt different. Not only had the audience gained a new appreciation of the benefits of a live show, but they too seemed to thrive more than ever at being back on stage.
Hearing that all of our shows are having to close once again under the latest Covid rules brought in by the Welsh Government is another blow to an already struggling entertainment industry.
We wonder when the time will come when we have to all learn to live with this and find a way to enjoy life, while taking responsibility for our own, and other peoples behaviour?
We go back to the indoor rule of six and social distancing (yes, the 2 metre thing returns) from 6am on Sunday 26th December, as we move into Alert Level Two restrictions.
Mark Drakeford
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Mark Drakeford
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The Wales Millennium Centre is closing until at least 15th January and has cancelled Disney’s Beauty and the Beast today and tomorrow as Covid has hit the production.
The New Theatre and Swansea Grand Theatre have been cancelled from Boxing Day onwards following the announcement of stricter Covid restrictions.
In a statement posted online the WMC said:
“The Welsh Government have announced that Wales is moving into Alert Level 2 at 6am on December 26th 2021. This will require two metre social distancing and an upper limit of 30 for indoor events.
“These new restrictions have made it impossible for us to open the theatre in the way that provides a good audience experience and is economically viable.
“In response, and to protect our audiences, staff and production staff and crew, we regret that all performances have been cancelled from December 26th 2021 until at least February 15 2022.
“Our building will fully close from 26th December. Performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on 23rd and 24th December have also been cancelled due to Covid enforced absences in the cast and crew.”
“If you have booked tickets to see a show during this period the original booker will be automatically refunded.”
There are currently three show in the WMC building, as well as ‘Beauty’ there’s XXXMAS CAROL and OI FROG!, they too are affected by the new restrictions.
The New Theatre in Cardiff said…….
“Due to the change in legislation announced by Welsh Government on Wed 22 Dec 2021, we are sad to say that all performances of Aladdin from 26 December 2021 onwards have been cancelled.
“We will be in contact with ticket holders directly to inform them of their option. If we have an email address on record we will contact you on that email (please also check spam/junk folders), if not we will be in touch by telephone in the coming days.
“As you can imagine, the team here at the New Theatre are incredibly busy dealing with this situation so please do not contact us in relation to the cancellation – we will contact you with all of the information you need.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding and we hope you have a good Christmas.”
Aladdin 2021. Stephanie Webber (Scherezade), Gareth Thomas (Genie of the Lamp) and Gareth Gates (Aladdin). Photography by Tim Dickeson.
” data-medium-file=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-300×141.jpg” data-large-file=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg” loading=”lazy” width=”1024″ height=”481″ src=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg” alt class=”wp-image-90131 jetpack-lazy-image” data-lazy-srcset=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg%201024w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-300×141.jpg%20300w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-768×360.jpg%20768w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1536×721.jpg%201536w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-2048×961.jpg%202048w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-696×327.jpg%20696w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1392×653.jpg%201392w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1068×501.jpg%201068w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1920×901.jpg%201920w%2C%20https%3A//southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-895×420.jpg%20895w” data-lazy-sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” data-lazy-src=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg?is-pending-load=1″ srcset=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7″><img data-attachment-id="90131" data-permalink="https://southwaleslife.com/aladdin-2021-stephanie-webber-scherezade-gareth-thomas-genie-of-the-lamp-and-gareth-gates-aladdin-photography-by-tim-dickeson/" data-orig-file="https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="3900,1831" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Tim Dickeson","camera":"ILCE-1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1638549152","copyright":"Tim Dickeson","focal_length":"70","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Aladdin 2021. Stephanie Webber (Scherezade), Gareth Thomas (Genie of the Lamp) and Gareth Gates (Aladdin). Photography by Tim Dickeson.
” data-medium-file=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-300×141.jpg” data-large-file=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg” loading=”lazy” width=”1024″ height=”481″ src=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg” alt=”” class=”wp-image-90131″ srcset=”https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1024×481.jpg” 1024w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-300×141.jpg 300w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-768×360.jpg 768w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1536×721.jpg 1536w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-2048×961.jpg 2048w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-696×327.jpg 696w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1392×653.jpg 1392w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1068×501.jpg 1068w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-1920×901.jpg 1920w, https://southwaleslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Aladdin-2021.-Stephanie-Webber-Scherezade-Gareth-Thomas-Genie-of-the-Lamp-and-Gareth-Gates-Aladdin.-Photography-by-Tim-Dickeson.-895×420.jpg 895w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>
Swansea’s Grand Theatre online statement read…..
“Due to recent Welsh Government changes to Covid legislation we are extremely disappointed to inform you that the pantomime of Snow White has been cancelled from Sunday 26th December 2021.
“All tickets from this date will automatically be refunded to the original payment method over the next couple of days. If you have any queries please contact us HERE
“Tickets are available for next years’ pantomime, which is Beauty and the Beast running from Wednesday 14th December 2022 to Sunday 15th January 2023. These can be purchased directly from our Box Office or via our website.”
Swansea Council added ……
“One of the Welsh Government regulations announced today was to limit the capacities of indoor venues.
“This would have made it impractical to continue the run of Snow White from Boxing Day onwards.
“Swansea Council runs the theatre and jointly took the decision with producers Crossroads Pantomimes.
“Customers with tickets for performances after December 24 will be refunded.
St David’s Hall have the Russian State Ballet of Siberia here for the duration of the festive period. It’s a huge production, which has come a long way to be with us. They said…..
Thank you for your patience and understanding following the Welsh Government’s announcement regarding social distancing measures affecting live venues from Boxing Day onwards.
We are currently in discussions with the promoters of our ballets season to explore the feasibility of hosting performances in front of very small audiences as the cast has travelled so far and already adhered to isolation protocols.
As soon as possible tomorrow, we will confirm any arrangements that are finalised, as well as information about refunds.
Many thanks for your ongoing loyal support.
There isn’t much we can add to the disappointment felt by everyone, other than a reminder that this is people’s livelihood, and for many, Christmas is the time they make a living to carry them through the rest of the year.
Our thoughts are with you all, and hope it won’t be long before the doors are open and you can all do what you do so well – make us feel welcome, and entertained.
We will be adding as many events to our WHAT’S ON section, which I know many of you are heading to today (Mike Doyle is a popular fella). Come back regularly and we’ll add as much as we can over the next few days.
It’s absolutely no consolation if you have missed out on one of the forthcoming performances, but if you’d like to see the shows, and take a look at our reviews, you can do so below.