The All-New Adventures of Peter Pan

Canterbury panto 2026: The All-New Adventures of Peter Pan

Janette Manrara, Phil Gallagher and Ben Roddy star in The All-New Adventures of Peter Pan, the Marlowe Theatre's Christmas 2026 pantomime in Canterbury, running in the Main House from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027. It is a Marlowe Theatre and Evolution Productions co-production, sponsored by Walker Construction, with three-time Olivier Award winner David Bedella as Captain Hook.

The story and what to expect

Peter Pan and Tink lead a magical family pantomime adventure, with Captain Hook, Mrs Smee, Starkey and Poppy Sunshine among the characters they meet along the way. The Marlowe promises lavish sets, hilarious jokes and fabulous music, with fun for the whole family.

Cast

Janette Manrara plays Tink. She is best known for Strictly Come Dancing.

Phil Gallagher plays Starkey. A fan favourite, he is the CBeebies and YouTube star of Mister Maker.

Ben Roddy plays Mrs Smee. Billed as a Marlowe legend, he won Best Dame at the Pantomime Awards 2024.

David Bedella plays Captain Hook. He is a three-time Olivier Award winner whose credits include In the Heights, & Juliet and Jerry Springer: The Opera.

Sario Solomon plays Peter Pan. He won Best Principal Lead at the 2026 UK Pantomime Awards.

Millie Spiker plays Poppy Sunshine. Her credits include Calendar Girls, The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan.

Creative team

Paul Hendy, who won Best Script at the Pantomime Awards 2024, writes and directs. Chris Wong is musical director and Lisa Mathieson choreographer. The sets are designed by Morgan Brind, Michelle Marden and Stuart Relph, costumes by Amy Chamberlain, lighting by Jack Weir and sound by Chris Whybrow.

Dates and times

The opening performance is on Friday 27 November 2026 at 7pm and the last is on Sunday 10 January 2027 at 5pm. Most weekday performances are at 1pm or 11am and 7pm, most Saturdays at 10.30am, 2.30pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 1pm and 5pm. Between 22 and 31 December performances are mainly at 2.30pm and 7pm, with some 10.30am shows.

Who is it for (age guidance and running time)

This is a family pantomime, with familiar faces for children from CBeebies and for parents from Strictly. The show runs for 2 hours 30 minutes. Age guidance is to be announced by the venue. Under 16s, schools and groups have dedicated prices on selected performances.

Accessible performances

The Marlowe offers a full set of access enhanced performances. A chilled performance is on Friday 4 December at 1pm. Audio described performances are on Sunday 6 December and Sunday 3 January at 1pm, each with a free touch tour beforehand for blind and partially sighted customers. A British Sign Language performance is on Saturday 12 December at 2.30pm, captioned performances are on Sunday 13 December at 1pm and 5pm, and the relaxed performance is on Wednesday 6 January 2027 at 11am.

A Marlowe panto tradition

The All-New Adventures of Peter Pan comes from the same award-winning team behind the Marlowe's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Beauty and the Beast. The Stage called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "a must-see family pantomime" and praised the "family party atmosphere" of Beauty and the Beast.

Getting to the Marlowe

The Marlowe Theatre is on The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS, in the same building as the Marlowe Studio. It is a short walk from both Canterbury train stations, Canterbury East and Canterbury West.