Imaginary Beasts Brings Annual WINTER PANTO Back to Boston, 1/11-2/1

Ring in the new year with imaginary beasts when they bring their annual Winter Pantomime back to Boston! What's in a name? Find out, as magic and mayhem mix in Rumpelstiltskin, or All That Glitters, the topsy-turvy tale of a strange little man who helps the Miller's daughter spin straw into gold - but will it cost a happy ending? Add to the classic story a Prince on a quest, a Dame in distress, and a multitude of merry misfits, and you have the perfect way to jumpstart your January!

This rollicking good time is a winter tradition throughout the United Kingdom and has been for centuries, but only a handful of companies stateside produce a Panto annually. Artistic Director Matthew Woods has been keeping the tradition alive in the Boston area for the past decade.

This slapstick style of theatre is the perfect way to fete the new year with your loved ones and friends-it's like watching a live cartoon. For the third year straight, the imaginary beasts present their version of Panto at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Black Box Theatre. A favorite for many years on the North Shore, the Panto has found its new home and has been praised by Boston audiences and critics alike for its entertaining and inventive nature.

If you are imagining mimes in white face or a game of charades, think again-for the British tradition has none of that. Instead, social mores are given a hilarious send up with a healthy dose of pop songs and topical references. Mix in audience participation (booing and hissing the villains and cheering on the goodies-for it is only with audience help that the good, right, and true can triumph), gender-bending (the Dame will be played by fringe favorite Joey C. Pelletier while the Principal Boy will be played by Elliot Norton Award winner Kiki Samko), and plenty of puns, and you have the recipe for a trip to the theatre that will delight one and all. Meanwhile, at the center of the spectacle, the most important element of all - the battle of good versus evil-is played out against a fairy tale backdrop. This year, the beasts draw source material from the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. Mixing the traditional story and Panto style with the beasts' signature physicality, a clever script conceived by Woods and written by the ensemble, and the whimsical and delightful costumes of IRNE award winner Cotton Talbot-Minkin, this production is sure to warm audiences' hearts while simultaneously stimulating their senses. Don't miss this once-a-year opportunity for children and adults alike to revel in the magic of theatre!

Running January 11th - February 1st, 2014, at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Black Box Theatre, Fridays through Sundays, with two Pay-What-You-Can performances on Thursdays January 23 and 30 at 8:00 pm. Ticket pricing and show times vary. Visit www.bostontheatrescene.com or www.imaginarybeasts.org for further details.

FEATURING: Bryan Bernfeld, Cameron M. Cronin, Mikey DiLoreto, Sarah Gazdowicz, Molly Kimmerling, Caroline Rose Markham, Amy Meyer, Beth Pearson, Joey C. Pelletier, Daniel J. Raps, Kiki Samko, William Schuller, Noah Simes, Michael Underhill, and Matthew Woods as RUMPELSTILTSKIN