Wizard of Oz - Michael Harrison already has a production of this which was at the Palladium in 2023 and is touring the country at the moment, and I don't believe it will work well as a panto, to separate it from the musical it is known to most as being
Beauty and the Beast - Disney has recently had their version at the Palladium in summer 2022 I believe, so they'd be reluctant to bring it back so soon as a panto. It's the similar idea of separating it from the Disney musical everyone knows from the panto, which would be a challenge on this scale
Humpty Dumpty - I think this would do Newcastle, Bradford and Edinburgh first before making it to the Palladium, as I think it may suit regional venues better as a trial before the Palladium
I think we'll see:
Robin Hood - A great title that hasn't been done on this scale, so would also make for a great regional set afterwards for Birmingham and Southampton, which is probably considered when choosing a title for the Palladium, and can work well as a panto that revolves around the returnees and a couple bigger names
Sleeping Beauty - Same reasons as above
Robinson Crusoe - Similar reasons as above, though the casting may be an issue as there aren't as many recognisable characters ghat the returnees could all fit into (this could be done when the casting gets refreshed, which is bound to happen soon)
Mother Goose - After the success of the smaller scale production which had a stint in the west end and on tour last year, I believe it would be great for Xroads to do a large scale production that would definitely work well as a regional one after (looking afterwards to Birmingham, Southampton etc)
Aladdin - Michael Harrison has already teased its return, and I think it would be a great time for Xroads to revive it as a regional panto for them that would tour good afterwards and encourage them to bring it back with their normal sets. It would be a statement as well that it can be done without stereotypes (as MH will ensure it avoids this) which is good for panto as a whole
I can see it being:
24/25 - Robin Hood
25/26 - Aladdin
26/27 - Mother Goose
27/28 - Sleeping Beauty
28/29 - Robinson Crusoe
This just goes to show that the future of Palladium pantos is secure with plenty of different titles left before having to redo the ones previously done in the Palladium panto revival, which is supported by the captive audience they will always have whatever they choose to do
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