A spectacular Christmas show will take place in St Albans this year with a production of Peter Pan flying into the Alban Arena.

Herts Advertiser: The Maltings Theatre presents Peter Pan at The Alban Arena in St Albans this Christmas.The Maltings Theatre presents Peter Pan at The Alban Arena in St Albans this Christmas. (Image: Maltings Theatre)

While the venue’s traditional pantomime isn’t going ahead this winter, the Maltings Theatre will be bringing some festive cheer to families across the district.

Creatives from the St Albans venue will present a new musical production of JM Barrie’s timeless tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up, Peter Pan, at the Arena this December/January.

The show will run from Friday, December 11 to Sunday, January 3, 2021, with tickets on sale now.

Tickets for Peter Pan are available from http://.tickets.maltingstheatre.co.uk

Herts Advertiser: The Maltings Theatre presents Peter Pan at The Alban Arena in St Albans this Christmas.The Maltings Theatre presents Peter Pan at The Alban Arena in St Albans this Christmas. (Image: Maltings Theatre)

The Alban Arena announced in September that its scheduled production of Mother Goose would be postponed until 2021 due to the challenges of socially distanced theatre and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, in order not to disappoint audiences, the Maltings Theatre is bringing a hugely entertaining show to St Albans audiences this Christmas.

The theatre has recently developed an excellent reputation for creating safe, socially distanced live performances at the open-air Roman Theatre of Verulamium and its own indoor venue in the heart of St Albans, and will be applying a similar approach to all 38 performances of Peter Pan at the Alban Arena.

Adam Nichols, artistic director of the Maltings Theatre, said: “In this most difficult year for our area, and the country at large, we think it’s more important than ever to bring the St Albans community together and provide some much-needed entertainment, amusement and festive cheer.

“We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to present a spectacular Christmas show with music, magic and mischief aplenty.”

£1 from every ticket purchased for Peter Pan will be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital, helping to support children’s healthcare and the efforts to find new and better ways to treat childhood illnesses.

This production of Peter Pan has been made possible through a partnership between The Maltings Theatre and 1Life, which manages the Alban Arena on behalf of St Albans City and District Council.

Mark Braithwaite, managing director of 1Life, said: “We are delighted that the residents of St Albans will have the opportunity to enjoy a family show on their doorstep in 2020.

“While it has not been possible to put on a pantomime in the usual St Albans style because we need a full house to make that work economically, it’s great to see everyone pulling together to put on a brilliant Christmas show despite the challenges.

“We are really looking forward to seeing what the Maltings Theatre will create and helping to ensure that audiences can enjoy a safe and healthy – as well as a highly entertaining – evening out.”

The Alban Arena has been reconfigured to ensure a safe and socially distanced experience.

Normal capacity has been reduced to 40 per cent, which means that tickets are limited and likely to sell out fast.