Birmingham Hippodrome today announced Birmingham’s very own Alison Hammond will be starring in this year’s giant panto Jack and the Beanstalk.

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 Beanstalk is the panto Birmingham’s bean waiting for.

Alison Hammond 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.”

New productions announced for 2024 include the remarkable story of one of the world's greatest vocal groups and the woman who made them in The Drifters Girl (Tues16 – Sat 20 Apr 2024), the Olivier Award-winning reimagined production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s celebrated musical Jesus Christ Superstar (Mon 22- Sat 27 Apr 2024) and the iconic song-and-dance spectacular 42 nd Street (Mon 29 Apr – Sat 4 May 2024).

These productions join the previously announced Life of Pi (Mon 12 Feb – Sat 17 Feb 2024) and Wicked (Tue 5 Mar – Sun 7 Apr 2024).

In the Patrick Studio Dear Santa (Mon 11 – Sun 24 Dec) 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.

This November (Thu 9 Nov), Birmingham Hippodrome Associate Sonia Sabri Company will present Roshni; a soul-stirring, captivating combination of Kathak dance, with live music and vocals, driven by the bold rhythms of Tabla percussion. Roshni brings together Sonia’s distinctive style of dance, rooted in the traditions of Kathak from Northern India, yet reimagined in the context of her lived British experience.

Matthew Bourne’s magical dance production of Edward Scissorhands returns to Birmingham Hippodrome next February (Tues 6 – Sat 10 Feb 2024). Based on the classic Tim Burton movie and featuring the hauntingly beautiful music of Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, the production has carved a place in the hearts of audiences worldwide since its premiere in 2005.

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.

Jack and the Beanstalk shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Saturday 16 December 2023 – Sunday 28 January 2024. 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 April at 11am. Tickets for all shows can be booked at birminghamhippodrome.com