Bookings for Watford Palace Theatre's A Christmas Carol panto are ahead of previous years, its writer says. Why Scrooge, the £25 seats and the access dates.
Bookings for Watford Palace Theatre’s pantomime, A Christmas Carol: The Pantomime, are running ahead of previous years, according to the man who wrote it. Steve Marmion, the theatre’s chief executive, puts that down to this year’s flat pricing, and he has a warning for anyone still deciding: “some of the popular shows are really filling up!”
The show runs from Sunday 29 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 at the theatre on Clarendon Road. Every date and time is on our Watford panto page.
We put five questions in writing to Marmion, to the director James Williams and to Terence Frisch, who plays the Dame. Their answers came back through the theatre on 2 November.
Why Scrooge?
Most pantomimes pick from a short list of stories. Marmion wanted out of it.
“It is the most Christmassy of stories, and I was fed up of doing stories set in sunshine and at other times of the year when we were all trudging in from a snowy Watford!” he said. “Also, there are only 7 traditional titles and we’ve all seen and done those a lot. Next year we might try something even more adventurous…”
The twist that interests him is structural. “What’s going to be really interesting to me as an old panto geek is how it works when your hero is the baddie!”
The theatre’s casting announcement says Frisch’s Dame plays all of the Ghosts of Christmas, guiding “the grumpiest Watfordian in town” through past, present and future. Marmion explained how the Dame fits into Dickens at all: “The Dame is playing one of the less celebrated roles in the book, Scrooge’s maid Dame Dilber. She has known Scrooge a very long time, and maybe she thinks he needs to learn the error of his ways. There’s an outside [chance] she’s staged the whole evening!”
Who is in it
Michael Lambourne plays Ebenezer Scrooge. Frisch is Dame Dilber, his fourteenth pantomime at the Palace, after last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk. Anna Tolputt plays Bob Scratchit and Philippa Carson plays Boz Scratchit. Nikita Johal plays three parts: Kathleen Turnip, Freda Scrooge and Fezziwig. Lakesha Cammock returns to the Palace as JakeBob Marley, who, in the theatre’s words, “returns with a warning Scrooge cannot ignore”.
According to the theatre, Frisch’s credits include Call the Midwife on the BBC and the film Last Night in Soho. Lambourne’s include The Railway Children at York Theatre Royal and Jack and the Beanstalk at Harrogate Theatre. Tolputt’s include Orlando at Longborough Festival Opera and A Small Light on Disney+. Johal’s include The Wife of Willesden at the Kiln Theatre and Broken Wings at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Carson’s include The Reckoning on ITV and Trying on Apple TV+. Cammock’s include The Tempest at the Orange Tree Theatre and The Hundred and One Dalmatians at Birmingham Rep.
Marmion, who wrote the show, is the theatre’s chief executive and director of programming and a former artistic director of Soho Theatre. The theatre calls him “a pantomime pioneer”, with more than 20 years’ experience.
Fourteen pantos in
We asked Frisch what has changed over fourteen Watford pantomimes, and what never does.
“How has it changed? Oh my word! Everything and nothing,” he said. “That’s the thing about pantomime, it’s always finding new things but sticks with the old too. That’s probably where I come in!!”
Why every seat is now £25
This is the first year the Palace has sold its panto at a single flat price. All seats were £20 if booked by 31 October and are £25 from 1 November to the end of the run, replacing the old system of different prices for different seats. The theatre’s show page also says group rates and membership discounts do not apply.
Marmion said the point is to reach people who do not usually go to the theatre.
“We’ve been trying to attract new audiences, particularly people who don’t traditionally attend the theatre. The best way to do that seems to be to get the prices as low as we can, and make booking as simple as possible. No premium seats, no gold performances, no hidden charges.”
Has it worked? “So far we are ahead of previous years, so fingers crossed. I’d advise getting your tickets asap though, some of the popular shows are really filling up!”
He did not give a figure. When we checked the show page on 5 November, every performance on its list showed £25.00 except the 10.30am on Wednesday 9 December, which was marked sold out, the only one so far.
Watford’s Dickens
James Williams, the theatre’s associate director, has directed more than 30 productions with young people, according to the theatre, among them SpongeBob the Musical: Youth Edition, James and the Giant Peach, Abi’s House Party and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: Teen Edition. His answer on the part Watford plays:
“Watford is always front and centre of our pantomimes, so even though we’re in Dickens’ London, it’s the London Borough of Watford with all the places and references and jokes you’ve come to expect. And most of all, we have two teams of brilliant young people performing in our Young Ensemble across the run, playing a host of characters from urchins to carollers to the Scratchit children! And there’s always opportunities for those in their seats to get involved in the action and for a few lucky children to get up on stage to join the fun there!”
What it means for you
- Price: £25 a seat, any seat, any performance, booked through the theatre’s show page or the box office on 01923 225 671.
- Press night: Thursday 3 December at 6pm, which the theatre’s list also sells at £25.
- Relaxed performance: Wednesday 9 December at 2.30pm, the theatre told us. Its show page also lists Sunday 13 December at 2.30pm as relaxed.
- Audio described and captioned: Sunday 27 December at 2.30pm, both at the same performance.
- Wheelchair spaces and companion tickets are available, according to the show page.
- Where: Watford Palace Theatre, 20 Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1JZ, a few minutes’ walk from Watford Junction. Parking is on our Watford parking page.
The Palace is a charity funded by Arts Council England and Watford Borough Council. Its recent productions include The Mesmerist, Merchant of Venue 1936, Two Of Us and Bitch Boxer, and the building also holds the 1908 Cabaret, two studio spaces and the Watford Palace Workshop.
The theatre says rehearsal photographs should be ready in a week or two. We will add them here.
Sources
- Written answers from Steve Marmion, Terence Frisch and James Williams, sent to Watford Today by Watford Palace Theatre on 2 November 2026
- Watford Palace Theatre, casting announcement for A Christmas Carol: The Pantomime, 15 October 2026, and its press night invitation, 3 November 2026
- Watford Palace Theatre, A Christmas Carol: The Panto, read 2 and 5 November 2026, for the access dates, the £25 price and the sold-out performance
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