Kings Theatre in Southsea cancels summertime Dick Whittington pantomime

Dick Whittington was due to be performed at the Kings Theatre in Albert Road, Southsea, from Friday, July 23 until Sunday, August 8.

But having already cut its run in December last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CEO Paul Woolf took the decision to axe the panto entirely.

In a statement, he said: ‘I have always driven the team with an optimistic heart keeping us ahead of the curve and consistent with this we planned to re-mount our fabulous panto, Dick Whittington for the summer.

‘However, the messages we were getting from our customers were that they were still unsure about planning for the summer with lockdown easing not a certainty and the dangle of a much-needed summer holiday still not confirmed.

‘This has led me to the very hard decision to not go ahead with this show as the costs of remounting would be around £100,000 and are a risk too great until we know all measures are gone.’

Tomorrow and Saturday, the Kings Theatre is hosting open days that allow people to tour the building, learn about the theatre’s history and take part in a series of activities.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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