Click here to check out our Christmas highlights, including SKATE TW, Bavarian Curling and Father Christmas, and click here to check out our enchanting pantomime, Beauty and the Beast!
In our pretty French town, Bookish Belle is ready to start a new chapter. Life isn't quite the Paris-dise she's been dreaming of. She's just a 'Oui' bit different and longs to find some adventure.
However Belle, her friend Jacques and his mum, Betty, local bell ringer of the local Tunbridge Bells, gets much more than they bargained for when they find themselves trapped inside the enchanted castle of a mysterious beast.
Will true love conquer all? Will the curse of the Enchantress ever be broken? Will Betty drop a clanger?
The award winning Little Wolf Entertainment (the team behind last year's smash hit, Jack and the Beanstalk) return with even more shimmering sets, outrageous costumes, magic and mayhem in this brand new furry-tail pantomime adventure!
You won't belle-ieve your eyes!
For performance types and times please see the full timetable.
Relaxed Performance
29 Dec 23, 5.00pm
BSL Signed Performance
28 Dec 23, 5:00pm
School Performances
12 - 15 Dec 10.00am and 1:45pm 12 - 13 Dec
Book by phone or contact Group Bookings
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Become a memberGold
Band A: Adults £45.00, Children £35.00
Band B: Adults £42.50, Children £32.50
Purple
Band A: Adults £42.50, Children £32.50
Band B: Adults £39.50, Children £29.50
Red
Band A: Adults £37.50, Children £27.50
Band B: Adults £34.50, Children £24.50
Green
Band A: Adults £30.00, Children £20.00
Band B: Adults £27.00, Children £17.00
Groups
Groups 8 to 14: save 10%
Groups 15 to 49: save 20%
Groups 50+: save 30%
Group rates not available for Gold performances.
Schools
£12.00 (one ticket free for every ten purchased).
Running Time: TBC
Babes-in-arms will require a ticket for this show
For specific access requests including wheelchair bookings or general access information please contact the theatre Ticket Sales team on 01892 530613 (Mon to Fri, 9am-5pm and Sat, 12pm-5pm).
Book by phone or contact Group Bookings
Creatives
CAST
RITA SIMONS
Rita is best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in BBC's Eastenders and is one of Britain's best loved TV actresses.
She won Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards and other awards and nominations include Best Newcomer at the Digital Spy Soap Awards, Best Onscreen Partnership for her character partnership with Ronnie Mitchell played by Samantha Womack, Best Newcomer at the TV Now awards, a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2008 British Soap Awards and Best Newcomer at the 2008 Inside Soap Awards.
Rita has also appeared in Mile High, Dream Team, toured the UK and Ireland as Paulette Bonafonte in hit musical Legally Blonde and played Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray at the London Coliseum.
Other credits include Lisa Prescott in The Krays: Dead Man Walking, an untold chapter from the notorious legend of the Kray Twins, Caro Harcourt in the UK Tour of Peter James' The House in Cold Hill and Miss Hedge in Everybody's Talking About Jamie at London's Apollo Theatre.
In Spring 2012, Rita was the subject of a major documentary film Rita Simons: My Daughter, Deafness and Me made by Leopard Films for primetime BBC1. Rita actively supports the charity RNID.
In 2018, Rita was a campmate on ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here where she endured countless trials and became camp mum on the most watched TV programme of 2018!
Most recently Rita appeared in Professor T for ITV, as a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef, on Pilgrimage for the BBC and made a special surprise return to EastEnders as Roxy Mitchell!
STEWART MCCHEYNE
Stewart trained on the Actor Musicianship course at Rose Bruford College where he graduated with a BA (Hons) Degree.
Theatre credits: Silly Simon in Jack and the Beanstalk (Little Wolf Entertainment); Mac in Andy And The Oddsocks (Ninja Pig/UK Tour); Peter Pan in Peter Pan (Spillers Productions); The Huntsman/Mirror in Grimms Halloween Fairy Tales, John in The Boy That Wouldn't Grow Up (BryMack Productions); Banquo/Porter in Macbeth (Infinite Jest); Dave Dean in Dusty: The Dusty Springfield Musical (Charing Cross Theatre); Rudy in The Ballad Of Rudy (Goblin Theatre Company); Young David Balfour in Kidnapped (Sell A Door/UK Tour); Council Solicitor, Various Roles & Fight Captain in Our House (UK Tour); Elvis in Save The Last Dance For Me (UK Tour). Television credits include: Cousin Mac in Andy And The Band (CBBC/Three Arrows Media); Mac in Andy And The Oddsocks (CBeebies Hospital Heroes); Mac in Andy And The Oddsocks (CBBC Summer Social); Private Tom Harkins in Scots At War (ITV/STV).
Radio credits: Lois in Three Skeleton Key (Glasgow Radio Theatre). Voice Over credits include: Food Love Stories (Tesco/Honey@Factory); San Miquel Award (Manifesto); 'Virgin Media's Game On' Animation for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Stewart is also highly trained/skilled in Stage Combat/Sword Fighting and has been a Fight Captain/Choreographer on various plays to short films.
JAMES PEAKE
Beauty and The Beast marks James' seventh Christmas with Little Wolf. It is his second time at the Assembly Hall Theatre, after playing Dame Helga Skelter Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk in 2022.
James was awarded Best Dame at the Great British Pantomime Awards in 2020.
James' extensive theatre credits include David Copperfield Riverside Studios & Frinton Summer Theatre; David Baddiel's AniMalcolm UK Tour; Babe, The Sheep Pig and Peter Pan Mercury Theatre; Rex in Rex the King UK Tour The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Off West End Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor Union Theatre; She Stoops to Conquer Theatre Royal Bath; The Music Hall Menagerie Leicester Square Theatre; NewsRevue Canal Café Theatre; Dirty, Gifted and Welsh National Theatre Wales & Dirty Protest; Dick Whittington, Aladdin and Jack and the Beanstalk Key Theatre and A Midsummer Night's Dream Mappa Mundi/Torch Theatre.
James' screen credits include BAFTA-winning Aberfan: The Fight for Justice BBC/S4C, Holby City BBC; Da Vinci's Demons Starz/BBC Worldwide for FX; Chubby Funny Free Range Films and the multi-award-winning short film Spoilers, nominated for a BAFTA.
ABIGAIL GREEN
Training; Mountview and The BRIT School
Credits include; Cat in Dick Whittington (Princes Theatre, Aldershot), Understudy Phaedra, Pea and Tayna in the revival of Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre, 2022).
Abigail is thrilled to be appearing in this year's Panto at the Assembly Hall, and she wishes you all a Merry Christmas and hopes you enjoy the show!
HOWARD CHADWICK
He trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Theatre Appearances include: The Card, New Vic Stoke and ; Aladdin, Harrogate Theatre; Brassed Off in Derby, Durham and York! Pantomime include Sleeping Beauty, at Derby Arena; Beauty And The Beast, Dick Whittington (3 times), Snow White (twice)The Sleeping Beauty, Jack And The Beanstalk and Babes In The Wood, Harrogate Theatre;
He has worked at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre and Storyhouse at Chester and with Northern Broadsides,
He has worked at Oldham Coliseum, Stafford Castle, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff; Theatre by The Lake; Leeds Playhouse; The Royal Exchange in Manchester, The Swan Theatre at Worcester and Lancaster Dukes. He is as at home with Shakespeare as he is with Panto.
Howard has just completed a role in the film The Young Woman and the Sea for Disney to be seen later this year.
Other TV and Film: Gentleman Jack, The Witcher, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, 24:Seven, Doctors and Peterloo for Mike Leigh.
Radio: Closely Observed Trains, Buffalo Bill And Little Matty Dyer, The Good Soldier Svejk and Excluded, BBC Radio Drama.