Kris Lythgoe News

In partnership with Lythgoe Family Panto, Theatre Under the Stars has opened their family-fun, holiday-filled interactive production Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight to Houston audiences. With a star-studded cast, popular music, and a storybook vibe, Kris Lythgoe's Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight had both the children and the parents in the audience laughing, shouting at the characters onstage, and erupting in applause. This production tells the tale of the cursed Princess Aurora (Lauren Taylor) on the brink of her eighteenth birthday, and the handsome Prince (Garrett Clayton) on the road to his wedding day with the Princess, as the evil fairy Carabosse (Debbie Gravitte) does everything in her power to sabotage the kingdom.

Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) in association with The Pasadena Playhouse expands this holiday season at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium with their newest production - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, A CHRISTMAS ROSE. 

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ANNIE, and More!

Lythgoe means talent and for several years the family have been entertaining us at Christmastime, with a British panto, American style. A panto is an interactive entertainment that starts with a very contemporary retelling of a fairy tale such as this year's treat Beauty and the Beast: A Christmas Rose and turns it into a highly imaginative show with pop music that will appeal to both children and their parents...but primarily to expose kids to an engaging theatrical experience. There's usually an actor or two in drag, and a villain ... and audience are encouraged to root for the heroes and BOO loudly at the villains. It begins first and foremost with an upbeat script by Kris Lythgoe, replete with silly lines and a lot of play.on.words. To put the younger audience into the spirit, apart from the screaming and booing, Beast masks are on sale and for the adult ladies, long-stemmed roses. This family show plays at the Pasadena Civic through December 24.

Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse, presents BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE, which expands this winter at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium (300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA 91101) for 14 performances only, December 13 -24, 2017 with the official press opening tonight, December 13.

The silly, family-friendly fun of those British-borne Pantos are back for a third holiday season in row at Orange County's Laguna Playhouse, this time with a story wrapped around the infamous tale of a smart-aleck street urchin (Jason Gotay) who discovers a magic lamp hiding a genie that grants wishes. Filled with slapstick humor, cleverly repurposed pop songs, and a seemingly endless parade of dad jokes, Lythgoe Family Panto's amusing new production ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH continues its playfully droll run through December 31. Campy and whimsical in the most G-rated way possible, this playfully safe yet still irresistibly entertaining musical comedy is all just silly, mirthful fun designed to keep kids enthralled and their parents snickering.

BroadwayWorld's Michael Sterling of BWW TV Los Angeles talks to the cast and creative team members during at rehearsal at the beautiful Pasadena Civic Auditorium for the world premiere of the Lythgoe Family Panto production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE, produced in association with Pasadena Playhouse.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, Executive Director Ellen Richard and Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) announce that Kira Kosarin (3-time Kid's Choice Award-nominee of Nickelodeon's hit show The Thundermans ), Jason Gotay (World Premiere of Stephen Schwartz's The Prince Of Egypt, title role of Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), Barry Pearl ( Grease ) and Josh Adamson (Big Fish, Taboo) star in Lythgoe Family Panto's ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH. Check out a first look at the production here!

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, Executive Director Ellen Richard and Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) have announced final casting for Lythgoe Family Panto's ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH.

Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse, announced today that the opening night celebration of the world premiere of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST A CHRISTMAS ROSE at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Wednesday, December 13 will benefit Give Kids Panto, a non-profit educational program, serving yearly over 5,000 Title 1 students across America, many of whom will see theatre for the first time through this program. All funds raised that evening will go to support the Panto student matinees for LAUSD and PUSD students.

Broadway star and Tony Award winner, Debbie Gravitte, has joined the cast of SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT as the evil fairy, 'Carabosse,' completing the cast for the upcoming holiday production at Theatre Under The Stars!

Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse, have announced final casting for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE which expands this winter at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium (300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA 91101) for 14 performances only, December 13 -24, 2017 with the official press opening on Wednesday, December 13.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, Executive Director Ellen Richard and Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) have announced final casting for Lythgoe Family Panto's ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH.

Teena Hostovich and Darrell Brooke just hosted a Pasadena Panto Season Launch Party in celebration of the Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE, which expands this winter at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Performances will begin December 13 through December 24 at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium. BroadwayWorld has photos from the festivities below!

Teena Hostovich and Darrell Brooke are hosting the Pasadena Panto Season Launch Party in celebration of the Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE, which expands this winter at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Teena Hostovich and Darrell Brooke are hosting the Pasadena Panto Season Launch Party in celebration of the Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A CHRISTMAS ROSE, which expands this winter at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Building upon the artistic acclaim of the of 2016-17 Season and reaffirming the commitment to bring "more theatre to more people", Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) announced today a dynamic 2017-18 Season; celebrating the prismatic and perennial impact of musical theatre.

Theatre Under The Stars and Lythgoe Family Panto have announced that John O'Hurley of Seinfeld and Broadway's CHICAGO, and Lauren Taylor of Disney's Best Friends Whenever, will be joining the cast starring as 'The King of Houston' and 'Princess Aurora'!

This just in! Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) announces Ashley Argota (ABC Family's The Fosters ) as Tinker Bell, Riley Costello (NBC's Hairspray Live! ) as Peter Pan, Clarice Ordaz (NBC's So You Think You Can Dance ) as Tiger Lily, Mark Ryan ( Black Sails on STARZ) as Captain Hook, David F.M. Vaughn (Broadway's Shrek The Musical) as Smee, and Audrey Whitby (Nickelodeon's The Thudermans ) in PETER PAN AND TINKER BELL - A PIRATES CHRISTMAS at the Balboa Theatre.

Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP), in association with Pasadena Playhouse have announced casting for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: A CHRISTMAS ROSE. Jonah Platt (Broadway's Wicked) will star as The Beast; Gedde Watanabe (Broadway's Pacific Overtures, John Hughes' Sixteen Candles) as Maurice; Jared Gertner (Broadway's The Book Of Mormon) as Pierre; and John Tartaglia (Broadway's Shrek The Musical), and as Bistro.