Following the glittering success of Cinderella, this year, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is excited to present the pantomime we’ve all BEAN waiting for with ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ performing from 19 November.
Join us for a GIANT adventure packed with gags galore, an original score, and sensational silliness – perfect for a festive family outing! Expect toe-tapping tunes, live music, dazzling costumes, magic beans, oodles of audience participation and larger-than-life characters in this unmissable magical pantomime adventure for all ages!
We’re proud to offer a range of accessible performances, welcoming everyone to come and enjoy the magic of panto. Book your favourite seats early and take advantage of our price freeze until 1st March 2025.
What to expect from our Panto Panto is a fun, family-friendly theatre tradition in the UK, usually performed at Christmas. Based on fairy tales, it’s packed with comedy, music, and audience participation. Key Features:
The Dame – A comedic, larger-than-life character played by a man in exaggerated female costume and makeup, bringing slapstick and cheeky humour.
Audience participation – Classic shout-outs like “It’s behind you!” and “Oh no it isn’t!” keep the crowd involved.
Slapstick & Wordplay – Silly physical comedy, messy scenes, and jokes for both kids and innuendo for adults.
Modern References – Pop culture jokes and improvisation make each show unique.
Larger-Than-Life Characters – Expect a hero, a villain to boo, and a comedy sidekick.
Live on stage music – We pride ourselves on our highly professional actor-musician casting for all roles, meaning all cast members play an instrument on stage (as well as act, sing, and dance)
New writing – Each panto is brand new for us, it’s the classic fairy tale with a local spin.
Bly, Essex. Angelic 9 year-old Flora and precocious 12 year-old Miles are the picture of innocence, rescuing injured birds and playing make-believe by the shady lake. But, as a new governess arrives at the manor to take care of them, disturbing secrets emerge from beneath the undulating waters. Questioning the truth behind the children’s stories, the governess finds it increasingly hard to tell reality from her nightmares – until she is forced to take action. Did you really see her? Or was it just a trick of the light? Henry James’ classic ghost story, chillingly reimagined by playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Her Naked Skin), is an enthralling mix of Halloween thriller and psychological mystery, drawing in both believers and sceptics alike. The play has been used as inspiration for West End classic The Woman in Black and adapted for Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor.
All children aged under 14 must be seated with an accompanying adult (18+) when watching a performance.
A Theatre Nation Partnerships production, produced by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. Moira Buffini’s clever and fiercely funny comedy is a fly-on-the-wall look at what might have happened when Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher came face-to-face in the privacy of the palace.
Over the course of a decade did the Monarch and the Iron Lady ever find a common ground, or did their stiff upper lips reign supreme?
This highly entertaining Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Theatre Nation Partnerships production explores the intense relationship between two of history’s most revered female leaders, and the legacy they each left behind.
The Queen and her most powerful subject, behind closed doors
All children aged under 14 must be seated with an accompanying adult (18+) when watching a performance.
See the full tour dates here: Handbagged tour details
Director’s Talk Attend our FREE Director’s Talk on Mon 10 Feb to get an insight into the making of Handbagged. Book your seat at our Director’s Talk
Page to Stage This 90-minute practical workshop provides insight into the Director’s vision and decisions in creating some of the production’s most exciting moments. Book your seat for Mon 19 Feb at Page to Stage.
Bursting with glitz and glamour, it’ll be the most magical event of the year!
Cinderella dreams of a glamorous life far removed from the everyday grind of primping and preening her vain sisters, and an invitation to the Prince’s royal ball is just the ticket! But the Ugly Sisters have other plans for Cinders, confiscating her ticket to the party of the decade… Fear not, for her Fairy Godmother arrives in the nick of time, ready to weave her magic and transform Cinderella’s fortunes! But can she sashay away from the sensational soirée before the clock strikes midnight and her riches turn back to rags once more…?
This much-loved traditional pantomime reunites the team behind last year’s smash-hit production Dick Whittington. Written by Andrew Pollard, with original music and lyrics by Tom Self, and directed by Kate Lovell (Co-Creative Director at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch).
All children aged under 14 must be seated with an accompanying adult (18+) when watching a performance.
If you identify as disabled or if you have any access seating requirements* we can offer you a ticket at a discounted price**. Please let the box office assistant know when booking, or if you prefer to book online then select the Access price type.
*There are 20 seats in Row E which are reserved for customers requiring step free access. These seats are only available by contacting our Box Office.
**Some exceptions may apply – please check when booking.
For more information please contact the Box Office on 01708 443333 or email boxoffice@queens-theatre.co.uk
Celebrating 70 years of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.
Filled with music, tricky questions and laughs you’ll be entertained throughout.
Tables of 6-8 people. Smaller groups may have to share a table with other quizzers
As a charity we rely on fundraising activities to enable the Theatre’s wide-ranging programme, particularly working with young people and the community, investing in and nurturing artistic talent, making theatre accessible and developing new audiences.
In 2012, Wilko Johnson, the iconic rock star and founder of legendary Essex band Dr Feelgood, was told he had inoperable cancer and a year to live. Refusing all treatment, he decided to spend his last months living meaningfully: seeing the people, places and things which meant most to him during his remarkable life.
Then, a miracle happened….
This world premiere production of a new play – a mixture of words, rock ‘n roll, and quotes from the man himself – tells the amazing, uplifting true story of Wilko, the Canvey Island legend.
“Anyone who is a fan of Dr Feelgood or Wilko Johnson should see it.”
“10/10 – I want to see it again!”
Jonathan Maitland is a playwright and former journalist having worked for the BBC across Radio 4, BBC News and presenting and producing shows for BBC 1. Maitland’s debut stage play Dead Sheep (2015) produced at Park Theatre became the most successful production in the theatre’s history. This record was broken by his second play also staged at Park Theatre An Audience With Jimmy Saville (2015), which went on to transfer to Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Further works at Park Theatre include Deny Deny Deny (2016) and the box office record breaking The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson (2019) which went on to complete an eight-week national tour in 2020. Most recently, Maitland presented the premiere of his new play The Interview at Park Theatre and his BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Wasps in a Jam Jar in 2023.
