Panto is coming to Tenby…. Oh yes, it is!!! The Only way is Pembs!!

Towie star joins a magical panto

A brand-new star-studded family pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk is coming to Pembrokeshire this Christmas, starring none other than James Argent, best known as “Arg” from TOWIE (The Only Way is Essex). (pic)

Lucky audiences will boo, laugh, cheer, clap, shout “Behind You!” and sing along to the family favourite premiering at the De Valence Pavilion in Tenby this December.

Featuring a cast of professional actors and some local performers, the production will have all the usual panto trimmings, stunning scenery and costumes, spectacular song and dance routines and bags of slapstick fun. It is the perfect festive treat for all the family.

Arg, star of ITVBe reality series “The Only Way Is Essex”, will play Silly Simon in the brand-new production. He is also a regular on radio and TV, as a guest presenter on Good Morning Britain, “Celebrity Super Spa”, ITV’s “Sugar Free Farm” and Channel 4’s “The Jump”. More recently he has worked alongside Gemma Collins on her show “Diva Forever” and has also taken part in TV favourites “Celebrity Coach Trip” and “Celebs go Dating”.

“I absolutely love pantomime especially interacting with the audiences, there is nothing like a good panto to really get you into the festive season. I love Wales and can’t wait to come to Tenby for the first time” says the reality star.

Alongside Arg will be a host of incredible performers including West End leading lady Emma Norman as The Woodland Fairy. Emma brings with her a wealth of experience having worked alongside famous names such as Michael Ball and Il Divo. The panto will also star James Schouten (Tony in West Side Story and Marcello in La Bohѐme) as the evil Fleshcreep, Alan Wilson, a 2021 graduate of London Studio Centre as our hero Jack and Woodrow Young who trained at Arts Educational, London as Ensemble/Dancer.

The show’s creator and director Drew Baker added “I could not be happier to be producing the pantomime at the De Valence Pavilion. The space is amazing, and I promise the biggest pantomime the county has ever seen featuring a quality star cast, fantastic scenery and costumes, an amazing live band, and magical special effects. Jack and the Beanstalk is a wonderful story that everyone knows and loves so make sure you book your tickets nice and early to secure the best seats, this will truly be an amazing spectacle for all the people of Pembrokeshire and beyond especially after the year we have all had”. Drew, an accomplished performer, and director will also be playing the much-loved mother of Jack and Simon, Dame Trott.

Dave Jones, General Manager of The De Valence in Tenby said “For many years the De Valence has strived to bring a varied diary of entertainment and we are so proud to be working with Drew and the

team at Vision Arts to give the county another top-class show on their doorstep. This is going to be a great boost for the future development of the arts in Pembrokeshire and we are so excited to be a part of it”

The Eagle-eyed readers amongst you will notice that there is no mention of who is playing Princess Jill and that is because the decision will be yours! ‘Search for a Princess’ will launch later in the year and will see the company on a County wide hunt to find someone to play the much-loved Princess Jill. Could it be you? Keep an eye on social media channels for more information.

The company will also be searching for 60 youngsters from the age of 6 – 12 to perform across the performances along with 4 local senior dancers. Auditions will take place in the summer so watch out for more info coming soon.

Local schools are being encouraged to book early for the special school panto performances available on selected dates during December, as tickets are expected to sell out quickly. In addition to fantastic group prices, and exclusive to Vision Arts productions, each school that books will be able to take advantage of a completely free Panto Workshop held at their school, a great end of term activity to look forward to!

There will be a signed and relaxed performance available along with some exclusive meet and greet opportunities. All of these will have limited availability, so please visit the website for more information.

Vision Arts will also be giving away 400 free tickets to Welsh NHS staff as a small token of thanks for the incredible work they do daily but even more so during the pandemic. The ‘NHS Free Ticket’ performances will take place on Sunday 12th, Monday 20th, Thursday 23rd and Wednesday 29th December. More information will be available on the website.

It is also a great privilege to be joined by Pure West Radio who are our official Radio Media Partners for this very first Big Pembs Panto!

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at De Valence Pavilion, Tenby from Thursday 9th to Friday 31st December. Tickets can be booked via www.bigpembspanto.com

For fantastic group rates and the NHS Free Ticket offer contact tickets@visionartswales.com