THE team at the Palace Theatre are celebrating after this year's pantomime successfully completed its run despite Omicron playing havoc with the theatre industry.

Jack and the Beanstalk played 48 times at the Redditch theatre, reaching 15,767 people over the Christmas season.

It comes as many theatres have been forced to cancel pantomimes and plays since the emergence and spread of the Omicron variant, with cast and crew forced to self-isolate.

A spokesperson for the Palace Theatre said: "We made it up the beanstalk 48 times over Christmas. It’s been the climb of our lives to play Jack and the Beanstalk over the festive season, and it was fraught with many twists and turns as the Omicron variant raged across the country.

"We were overwhelmed by the support and fantastic reviews we received from people who came to see the show.

"Every show completed meant a little more panto magic was sprinkled liberally over our audiences which provided a real tonic that we all needed.

"Unlike a good few shows around the United Kingdom, we managed to complete all our performances of the show playing to over 15,767 people over the Christmas season which represented an attendance of 78% over the panto run.

"We would like to thank our producers at Paul Holman Associates, our incredible cast, crew and creatives for working so hard, and putting so much talent into the show and for stepping up to fill the breaches when principals fell ill.

"To all our staff and volunteers who worked through such a difficult season we were filled with admiration for their dedication and sheer hard work to ensure we could keep our doors open, and customers entertained."

The team have announced the pantomime for 2022 will be Beauty and the Beast, running from Monday December 5 to Saturday December 31.