As Edinburgh King’s panto heads towards it’s final season at The Festival Theatre, its temporary home during the redevelopment of the Old Lady of Leven Street, the UK Pantomime Association has shortlisted 2024’s Cinderella in no fewer than three categories – Best Dame, Best Pantomime (Over 900 seats) and Best Contribution to Music in the Pantomime Awards 2025.
Celebrating their nominations are legendary Edinburgh Dame Allan Stewart, whose Aunty May character has now entertained generations of Edinburgh panto audiences, the team at Capital Theatres, the trust that operates both Festival and King’s theatres, and musical director Andy Pickering along with Rick Coates
Joining Stewart on the Christopher Biggins Award For Best Dame shortlist are Antony Stuart-Hicks for The New Adventures of Peter Pan, at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, Brad Fitt for Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Matthew Siveter for Snow White at Loughborough Town Hall and Phylip Harries for Mother Goose The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto at Theatr Clwyd, Mold.
Produced by Crossroads Pantomimes, the penultimate ‘Edinburgh King’s’ panto to be staged at the Festival Theatre, has also been shortlisted for the Best Pantomime (Over 900 Seats) Award, where it finds itself going slipper to slipper with Cinderella at the Blackpool Grand Theatre, Aladdin at The Swan Theatre, High Wycombe, Glasgow Kings’ Peter Pan and Sheffield Lyceum’s Snow White.
The third award to hold an interest for the Scottish capital’s panto lovers comes in the Best Contribution To Music category which finds Rick Coates and Andy Pickering up against Dan De Cruz, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, James Harrison, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, Jamie Noar, Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, and Tayo Akinbode, Theatr Clwyd, Mold.
Allan Stewart, who celebrated 25 years as Edinburgh’s Dame in 2023’s Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan, before returning for his 26th outing in last year’s Cinderella, says, “I’m so knocked out at our three nominations in the panto awards. It’s my first nomination as best Dame however we did win best panto a few years ago. Andy Pickering, our MD, being nominated for his contribution to music is also very special as it’s his first year in his new role as associate musical supervisor. All in all an exciting awards ceremony awaits us.”
And the Capital Theatre’s team could yet be in the running for further recognition at this year’s awards; the winner of the Nigel Ellacott Special Recognition Award for Pantomime History, Tradition and Heritage, in remembrance of the legendary Ugly Sister and Dame who passed away in 2024, will not be revealed until the ceremony itself.
All winners will be announced at the star-studded Awards ceremony at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, on Sunday 13 April 2025.
Previously the Edinburgh King’s won the Pantomime of the Year at the Great British Pantomime Awards 2019 for the 2018/19 panto, Beauty and the Beast, and famously, Grant Stott was shortlisted in 2018 Great British Panto Awards in the Best Female Baddie category for his performance as the evil stepmother Baroness Hibernia Hardup in the King’s 2017/17 production of Cinderella – he was up against Carli Norris, Elaine Paige and Zoe Birkett. In 2022, the Edinburgh King’s panto also won the 2022 Pantomime Awards Best Script Award for Sleeping Beauty, written by Alan McHugh, Allan Stewart and Grant Stott.
Ticket for the Pantomime Awards 2025 here.
Brilliant!