My family and I love our annual panto visits to De Montfort Hall in Leicester. It’s become a regular Christmas tradition and we book our tickets well in advance to secure the best seats.
We were really looking forward to this year’s show and we had a quick meal pre-show to help start our families Christmas celebrations pre-show.
We were familiar with the regular and brilliant Leicester pantomime stars Jack Ballard and Jarred Christmas, and looked forward to seeing them again. Their performances are always worth the ticket price alone and it is good to have regulars who you know will draw in the crowds, entertain and deliver the comedy. While I wasn’t particularly familiar with the other performers (apart from Suzanne Shaw of course), I had high expectations. Would it be as good as previous years?
The 2025 cast comprised of Ritchie Andersen, Rebecca Keatley, Djalenga Scott and Hobbit. An excellent ensemble of artists, with Hobbit standing out as very talented and the cause of many funny moments. I looked forward to his appearances on stage and much of the shows humour (along with a special segment near the end) rely on him.
The show is supported as always with excellent dancing and choreography. The production, lighting and sets were also of a high standard and the show delivered many highlights. The musical numbers were strong and the script and story were very funny. This year’s vocal performances were particularly memorable. The cast sing many times as an ensemble and most main cast also had solo song spots. The performers also regularly ad-libbed (particularly Jack and Jarred) in parts which added to the enjoyment. Jack Ballard also continues to be a scene stealer who my family and I love. He was obviously having a lot of fun in his role and hopefully will be in the part for many years to come.
Those who attend the Leicester panto each year will be familiar with the format and certain traditions that always happen e.g. the “12 days of Christmas” sing along. I spent two and a half hours non-stop laughing (with a 20 minute interval) and joining in with this highly interactive show. I haven’t laughed as much in a long time and I was so immersed in it all, I totally escaped from reality. Each year this panto gets better and better, and this particular 2025 show is now my favourite of the Leicester pantos I’ve seen in recent years. It offered plenty of humour for adults and features loads of current jokes that are spot on. Perhaps the strongest line-up of performers in recent years with everyone delivering strong and funny performances. I certainly left the theatre on a high and all my family were buzzing about the show as well. I will definitely be booking this week for next year as a must see annual show. The perfect night out.
Read below for more about the artists and their performances.
5 out of 5 – don’t miss it!
Cast details and picture gallery follow after the promo. To book, visit the official site here.
Next year they have announced that the annual panto will be “Beauty and the Beast”.
Jack Ballard as the Dame – Sarah the Cook
Jack’s performance was incredible and his best yet since he took on the Dame role a few years ago. His costumes were fantastic and his natural humour shone through. He keeps getting better and this year he seemed to be particularly enjoying himself on stage, also with some hilarious song choices and routines.
Jarred as Dick Whittington
Jarred is another firm favourite for the Leicester crowd. A regular lead and the glue that holds the other characters and story together, he was very funny to watch and also had a great costume. Jarred is also performing his adults comedy show in February with Hobbit and I want to book to see this additional show.
Hobbit as Boots the Cat
Hobbit’s beatboxing is a real talent and his amazing performance makes the show truly unique and funny. His skills are put to great advantage when some audience members join him on stage towards the end. I have no idea how anyone could act as an understudy for Hobbit; his performance skills are simply unmatched with his rare talents.
Richie Anderson as Alderman Fitzwarren
Known for TV and radio presenting, this was his debut panto performance and he was really rather good. Camping up his performance fully to gain laughs, he fully immersed himself in the role and gave the part 110%. So much better than many first time panto performers that I have seen.
Suzanne Shaw as Fairy Bow Bells
Known for her role in “Hearsay” and soap opera “Emmerdale”, she combined narration and singing confidently. This was likely a more demanding role given the extensive script and numerous musical numbers. Her performance was spot on and enjoyable.
Rebecca Keatley as Alice Fitzwarren
Playing the romantic interest for Jared’s character, Rebecca who is a BBC children’s TV presenter will no doubt be very well known to the younger audience. She was excellent and put in some good vocal performances. Another good addition to this strong cast.
Djalenga Scott as Queen Rat
West End star Djalenga was well cast to take on the role of Queen Rat. Convincing and fun as the evil Queen Rat, who you love to hate and boo. A very powerful and theatrical singing voice while delivering the essential pantomime baddie routine.
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