The queen of Birmingham, Alison Hammond will be starring in this year’s giant panto, Jack and the Beanstalk at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Alison will be starring alongside Hippodrome favourite Matt Slack returning for his 10th year, Doreen Tipton as Doreen The Cow and panto dame extraordinaire, Andrew Ryan.

Featuring stunning Olivier-nominated sets and dazzling costumes from The London Palladium, plus bundle-loads of laughter, Jack and the Beanstalkis the panto Birmingham’s bean waiting for. Alison said: 

“It’s no secret that I love panto and I love Birmingham, so being able to be part of the legendary Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime is a dream come true!

“I’m super excited that I’ll be starring in Jack and the Beanstalk later this year alongside the hilarious Matt, Doreen and Andrew.”

The news comes as a new season of productions was announced for 2024. They include the remarkable story of one of the world's greatest vocal groups and the woman who made them in The Drifters Girl, from 16th to 20th April and the Olivier Award-winning production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s celebrated musical, Jesus Christ Superstar which runs from 22nd to 27th April.

The iconic song-and-dance spectacular, 42nd Street will play from 29th April to 4h May and the UK tour of Wicked flys in between 5th March and 7th April.

In the Patrick Studio, Dear Santa runs from 11th to 24th December and will take little ones on an adventure when Santa, with the help of his cheeky Elf, tries to deliver the most fantastic Christmas present to Sarah just in time for Christmas Eve.

From the author of the well-loved children’s book Dear Zoo, Rod Campbell’s Dear Santa is an ideal introduction to theatre for those aged two and over. Jon Gilchrist, Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer at Birmingham Hippodrome said: 

“We have an incredible season ahead of us, here at the Hippodrome. Our programme is packed with productions that are guaranteed to provide those all-important goosebumps that make attending live performance such a special event.

“Having Alison join Matt, Doreen and Andrew in panto is the icing on the cake. We cannot wait to welcome her and know that audiences across the West Midlands will be as excited as we are to see her in Jack and the Beanstalk.”

There will be a range of Audio Described, Captioned, BSL interpreted and relaxed performances throughout the season, to find out more head to the Hippodrome’s accessible performances web page.

Tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk are on sale now and tickets for all new season shows will go on sale to Friends of Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 20 April at 11am and on general sale on Monday 24 Aprilat 11am.  

Tickets for all shows can be booked at birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling 0844 338 5000.