Following the giant success of this year’s magical pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, Swansea Grand Theatre and Imagine Theatre have confirmed that Swansea audiences can look forward to a magic carpet ride with a glittering production of Aladdin,starring panto legend Joe Pasquale from 06 December 2025 to 04 January 2026. The show will also feature another spectacular digital set with animated scenes, which has become a regular part of the panto experience in the past few years.
Joe’s TV career started as a runner-up on New Faces in 1987 and since then, he has gone on to be crowned King Of The Jungle on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me out Of Here in 2004; Hosted an ITV Special An Audience With Joe Pasquale; hosted the long running television series The Price Is Right for ITV, starred in ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2013; dangled from the ceiling of the London Palladium for ITV’s Live From The Palladium; taken part in ITV’s Sugar Free Farm; Bared all on ITV1’s The All New Monty: Who Bares Wins for Stand-up To Cancer; appeared on five Royal Variety Performances; spent time in a Costa Rican prison for Virgin One’s The Prisoner X documentary season; spent five days alone in the jungles of Guyana for Discovery Channels Alone In The Wild Series; had numerous guest appearances on BBC’s Celebrity Mastermind and Celebrity Chase and most recently won ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity – Masked Singer Special (2023), as well as being a regular contributor on C4’s The Last Leg.
In addition to his many TV credits, Joe has racked up an impressive list of Theatre credits including The Nerd which prompted Time Out to describe his performance as “rib-shatteringly funny”; Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; The Producers; The Wizard Of Oz; Doctor In The House; Ha Ha Holmes – The Hound Of The Baskervilles; Spamalot; and more recently in the socially distanced April In Paris and in the starring role of ‘Frank Spencer’ in the stage adaptation of hit TV sitcom Some Mothers Do Ave Em.
Joe says “I am absolutely thrilled to be returning to Swansea to the beautiful Grand Theatre in Aladdin. The audiences in South Wales are wonderful and so welcoming, so I am really looking forward to spending the festive period there and getting up to lots of panto mischief and mayhem with Kev.”
Swansea Icon Kev Johns, who is a firm panto favourite with Swansea audiences and critics, will also be back as Dame and adds “Panto at The Grand is a Christmas tradition for many, and I am so honoured to be a part of that. I am so looking forward to working with Joe in Aladdin, I know we are going to have such a fun time helping our audiences make those magical panto memories.’
Kev’s stage career has been varied including drama, comedy, musicals and of course Pantomime. This year is Kev’s 33rd year in Panto and his 27th at the Grand where he has firmly established himself as an audience favourite.
Elliott King, Cabinet Member for Culture, Human Rights and Equalities commented,
“Swansea audiences are still on a high from this year’s resounding panto success and this casting news is brilliant, giving us something to look forward to.”
Produced by award-winning Imagine Theatre, Aladdin will feature another dazzling digital set using LED screens with animated scenes and mesmerising effects plus all of the usual ingredients you would expect to see for a truly memorable pantomime – hilarious slapstick, plenty of audience interaction and marvellous musical numbers that you will be singing for days afterwards.
Will Aladdin be able to thwart the evil sorcerer, gain control of the magic lamp and win the heart of the girl he loves? Come along and find out!
Aladdin is a spectacular family adventure, and the Christmas treat you don’t want to miss. Book early for the best prices and availability.
For tickets and more information visit swanseagrand.co.uk.
