Theatre Royal Bath's panto runs 53 performances from 10 December. Price bands, the five dark days, every access date and a 30 September group deadline.

The Theatre Royal Bath pantomime for 2026 is Beauty and the Beast, running in the Main House from Thursday 10 December 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027. That is 53 performances, and the theatre’s booking pages are already open (Theatre Royal Bath).

The five days there is no panto

Most days carry two performances, either 2pm and 7pm or 1pm and 5.30pm. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve move to 11am and 3pm. Opening night, Thursday 10 December, is a single 7pm show.

There are no performances on 14 and 18 December, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day or 4 January. Those two December dark days are the ones people get caught by, because they are an ordinary Monday and Friday in the middle of the run.

Who is in it

Marc Baylis, Rob Donovan in Coronation Street, plays the villain Hugo Pompidou. The script is by Bath’s Jon Monie, who is also onstage as Louis La Plonk, with Nick Wilton returning as Dame Polly La Plonk. Amelia Adams (Jersey Boys, Hairspray, Spamalot) plays Belle and Shani Cantor (Oklahoma!, Kiss Me, Kate) is Fairy Bon Bon. The production is by UK Productions.

Note that the theatre’s own Christmas landing page still says “further star casting to be announced”. The event page has since named the full principal cast, so the landing page is behind.

Prices, and the discount that expires this month

The theatre prices performances in three bands:

  • Red: from £14 to £38.50. School discounts apply.
  • Amber: from £14 to £53.25. Regular, group and school discounts apply.
  • Green: from £14 to £55.50. No discounts apply.

Concessions are £3 off Amber performances for children, OAPs and JSA claimants. The Family Saver is four tickets for £98 at Red, £116 at Amber and £130 at Green, Grand Circle only.

The deadline worth acting on now is the group one. Groups get £2 off per ticket on Red performances when booked and paid before 30 September, and 20% off Amber performances with a further £2 off per ticket on the same 30 September deadline. Schools pay £20 or £18 a ticket on Red and Amber performances with a minimum of eight.

Two things worth knowing about those numbers. Main House ticket prices “include all applicable fees”, so there is no booking charge added at checkout. And the theatre’s separate offer for teachers and PTAs on January matinees was tied to a reservation deadline of Friday 24 July, which has passed, though the line is still on the page; ring the box office rather than assume it is dead.

Access performances

All five are dated, which is more than most theatres publish this far ahead:

  • Relaxed: Sunday 13 December, 1pm, and Wednesday 30 December, 2pm
  • Audio-described: Sunday 20 December, 1pm, and Tuesday 29 December, 1pm, with a touch tour at 11.30am for audio-described bookers
  • BSL interpreted: Saturday 9 January, 2pm

The rest of Christmas at the Theatre Royal

The panto is not the only festive show, and the two big alternatives are cheaper and shorter, which matters with young children.

Arthur is at the egg, the theatre’s children’s venue, from 19 November to 3 January, 53 performances. It is an egg and Polka Theatre co-production, age 6 and up, and runs 1 hour 45 including an interval. Tickets are £15.50 to £25.50 including fees, schools pay £10 with an eleventh ticket free for every ten booked. Four relaxed performances are dated: Friday 27 November 10am, Thursday 3 December 2pm, Sunday 20 December 3.30pm and Tuesday 29 December 11.30am (the egg).

A Child’s Christmas in Wales is in the Ustinov Studio from 9 to 24 December, 27 performances, one hour with no interval. Emma Rice Company returns it after a sell-out run at Christmas 2025. Two performances are billed as Babes in Arms, for parents with babies under 12 months: Sunday 13 December 11am and Tuesday 22 December 11am (Ustinov Studio).

Guy Masterson brings his one-man A Christmas Carol to the Main House, and there is a Carols and Christmas Dinner event at The Dukes Hotel (Christmas at the Theatre Royal Bath).

Getting there

The theatre is on Sawclose, BA1 1ET, a five minute walk from Bath Spa station and inside the area affected by Bath Christmas Market road closures for most of December. Evening performances and the market’s 8pm Thursday to Saturday close overlap, so allow for a busy city centre. See parking in Bath for tariffs and roadworks and travel for current closures. The box office is on 01225 448844, open 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Every date, time and price above was checked against the Theatre Royal’s own pages on 4 September 2026.