Bubbles will be used during one part of the show, mainly around the centre of Rows C–K. If this may cause any issues, please speak to our Box Office team.
Mother Goose
A Mercury Production
Show Information
Shows from:
Shows to:
Thu 15 Jan 2026
Sun 18 Jan 2026
Duration:
Approx. 2hrs 20mins, incl. interval.
Price:
£10.00 - £43.00
(inc. £2.50 ticket levy)
(inc. £2.50 ticket levy)
Venue:
Mercury Theatre
Accessibility:
Age Guidance:
Family friendly show 5+, Adult shows 18+ only
Warnings:
Contains pyrotechnics, cold sparks, thunder and lightning, flashing lights, sudden noises, and use of a water gun.
Show Bio
A Mercury Production
Roll up, roll up for the greatest show on earth! To celebrate ten golden years of the legendary duo Antony Stuart-Hicks and Dale Superville, the Mercury Theatre present the mother of all pantos – Mother Goose!
Gertie Goose (Stuart-Hicks) and her daughter run Three-Rings Circus, but their nest egg is running low, and if they can’t pay the rent, it’s curtains! Just when all seems lost, a fairy with a few tricks up her sleeves casts a spell on Billy the Goose (Superville) – and suddenly, he’s laying golden eggs faster than you can say “honk!” With riches at their wingtips, the circus is saved!
But trouble is brewing… A wicked landlady, green with envy, swoops in disguised as a beauty guru, tempting Gertie with the promise of eternal youth – but at a terrible price: Billy must be traded! Will she fall for the fowl play, or will good triumph over greed?
Expect breath-taking sets, dazzling costumes, side-splitting comedy and plenty of Mercury magic in this eggs-traordinary festive treat for the whole family. So flock to the box office, grab your golden tickets and get ready for an unmissable adventure this Christmas!
Videos
Content to Consider and Accessibility
Show contains pyrotechnics, cold sparks, thunder and lightning, flashing lights & strobe-like effects*, sudden noises, and use of a water gun.
*Strobe-like effects will not be at a high enough frequency to trigger photosensitive epilepsy.
Our production of Mother Goose is set in a circus with set and costume reflecting this theme. Some of the costumes draw inspiration from the tradition of Circus Clowns but we would just like to reassure you that no Clowns appear in the show. We have also made efforts to avoid using certain aspects of clown costume and makeup, as we are aware that Coulrophobia (fear of Clowns) could be a concern for some audience members.
If you’d prefer to attend a Relaxed Performance (where lighting and sound effects will be reduced), we will be holding these on Fri 5 Dec 2025, 12pm (also a Schools Performance) and Sat 10 Jan 2026, 2pm (also a BSL interpreted performance).
Our Audio Described performances (with pre-show touch tours available) will be on Sat 6 Dec 2025, 2pm and Sat 17 Jan 2026, 7pm; our Captioned performances will be on Sat 6 Dec 2025, 7pm and Sat 17 Jan 2026, 2pm; and our BSL performances will be on Fri 5 Dec 2025, 7pm, Fri 9 Jan 2026, 7.30pm (also an adult performance – 18+); and Sat 10 Jan 2026, 2pm (also a relaxed performance).
Please note: touch tours can only be booked via the Box Office over the phone or by email.
If you are attending a relaxed performance, or would like to know more about specific elements of the show, our social story will be available nearer the show (please be aware that this will contain spoilers). If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
You can view the social story via the button below, but please be aware that it will contain spoilers.
Our accessible performances are made possible with the support of John Fowlers:
Adult Performances
Out 18+ adult performances are known for being a little more risqué!
If you want to leave the kids at home and double the laughter, these performances will be in January 2026 on: Tue 6 Jan, 7.30pm; Wed 7 Jan, 7.30pm; Thu 8 Jan, 7.30pm; Fri 9 Jan, 7.30pm (also BSL interpreted); Tue 13 Jan, 7.30pm; Wed 14 Jan, 7.30pm; Thu 15 Jan, 7.30pm and Fri 16 Jan, 7.30pm.
Booking for a school?
We can’t wait to welcome schools back to the marvellous Mercury pantomime this festive season!
Our 2025 schools performances are: Wed 26 Nov, 10.15am & 2pm; Thu 27 Nov, 10.15am; Fri 28 Nov, 12pm; Tue 2 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Wed 3 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Thu 4 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Fri 5 Dec, 12pm (also a Relaxed Performance); Tue 9 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Wed 10 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Thu 11 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Fri 12 Dec, 12pm; Tue 16 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm; Wed 17 Dec, 10.15am & 2pm.
Tickets for schools are £14.50 (including levy). For every 10 tickets you buy the 11th is free for a teacher or member of support staff.
You can book today (and even pre-order your ice cream!) by filling in our form or by calling our customer experience team on 01206 573948. Please be aware the form will ask you for your first and second choice performances dates and times, so please do have a look through the performance schedule below before heading over to the form.
School Workshops
Extend your visit with one of our brilliant workshops!
Make your school’s visit to the Mercury panto even more enriching with our fun workshop exploring character archetypes, fairy tales and conventional storylines. This practical storytelling workshop is the perfect Christmas treat for a class-sized group before or after they’ve seen the show.
Check out our wide range of school workshops to extend your visit and expand your classroom learning. Discover all of our workshops here: mercurytheatre.co.uk/taking-part/education/school-workshops and email [email protected] for enquiries.
Booster Seats
Need a little lift to get the best view? Booster seats are available at the door to the theatre. Pick one up on your way in!
Mother Goose Small Bowls in our Café Bar
Make the most of your visit and discover our tempting tapas, with a selection of small bowls perfect for sharing this Panto season!
Select any three for £13.50 or any five for £22. Just let us know your preferred choice when you arrive at your reserved table. We cater for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan diets.
Options include: Cajun Chicken Skewers (gf), Buffalo Tempura Cauliflower (v), Onion Bhajis (v, vg), Wholetail Scampi, Halloumi Fries (v, gf), Crispy Veg Dumplings (v, vg), Vegetable samosas (v, vg), Southern Fried Chicken Goujons, Grilled Pita Bread (v, vg), Duck Spring Rolls, Prawn Cocktail or Cod Goujons. *Please note: options may be subject to change. Ask upon arrival for that performances offerings.
Simply add the Small Bowls option to your basket when booking online (see the You might also be interested in… page once you have selected your tickets) or with our friendly Box Office team, and you’ll be reserved a table 90 or 75 minutes ahead of the show and ready to order which three options you would like on arrival (subject to availability). Limited spaces per performance so book early to avoid disappointment!
Panto Shout-Out/Birthday Book
If you’d like our cast to say Happy Birthday or give a shout out to a member of your party during the show, you can submit your requests via our Shout Out book.
Please note: we wish we could use every message we receive, but sadly that is never possible and we can’t offer any guarantee that your birthday or shout out will be used in the show.
Cast
Antony Stuart-Hicks
Gertie Goose
This year Antony celebrates 30 years in pantomime and 10 ...
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Antony Stuart-Hicks
Gertie Goose
This year Antony celebrates 30 years in pantomime and 10 years as the Mercury’s resident Dame. Antony is Senior Producer for the Mercury, Patron for Theatricool Performing Arts in Colchester and Trustee for Theatre in the Rough CIC.
Antony’s recent awards include Best Dame * at the UK Pantomime Awards 2025 and The Olwyn Wymark Theatre Encouragement Award from the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain.
Pantomime at Mercury Theatre: Gertie Goose in Mother Goose, Sherry Smee in The New Adventures of Peter Pan *, Maris Piper in Sleeping Beauty, Betty Bon Bon in Beauty and the Beast; Yootha Twankey in Aladdin; Kylie Hard-Up in Cinderella (Winner of 2020 Best Ugly Sisters – Great British Pantomime Awards); Dotty Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk; Nurse Nellie in Snow White (Nominated for Best Dame – Great British Pantomime Awards); Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington and Widow Twankey in Aladdin.
Other Pantomime credits: Ugly Sister in Cinderella (Southport Arts Centre, Crosby Civic Hall, Rhyl Pavilion Theatre, Royal Court Liverpool, Victoria Theatre Halifax, Hazlitt Theatre Maidstone, The Cresset Peterborough, Camberley Arts Theatre, Central Theatre Chatham, Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple, Harlow Playhouse); Dolly Mixture in Snow White (Royal Court Liverpool, Central Theatre Chatham); Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington (Royal Court Liverpool); Nurse in Sleeping Beauty (Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple) and Widow Twankey in Aladdin (Neptune Theatre Liverpool, Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple, The Palace Theatre, Newark).
Theatre credits include: Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles; The Knight of Biscay in Don Quixote; George in His Fragile Mind; Terisius in Antigone; George in Stop Giving Me Grief; Malvolio in Twelfth Night; Demetrius/Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers; Stuart in Gosforth’s Fete; Giovanni in Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Graham in Fine Wine & Pringles at the Café Belgrade; Macbeth in Macbeth; Hugo in No Horizon; Scrooge in A Christmas Carol; Meg Long in Our Country’s Good; Ratty in The Wind in the Willows and Saturninus in Titus Andronicus.
Musical Theatre includes: Professor Callaghan in Legally Blonde (Jersey Opera House); Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (Dubai); Roscoe in Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Criterion, West End); Dr Frederick Chilton in Silence! The Musical (European Premiere); Friar Lawrence in Romeo & Juliet The Musical (UK tour); Polonius in Hamlet (UK & International tour); Gonzalo in The Tempest (UK & International tour); Quince/Egeus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (UK & International tour); Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland; Caspius in The Wizard of Oz ~ Beyond the Rainbow (UK Tour); Kaa the Snake in The Jungle Book; King Midas in Myth & Legend; Reverend Barker in The Retribution and Fagin in Oliver!
Audio recordings include: Dr Who – ‘Cold Vengeance’ The Tenth Doctor Series (Big Finish).
Producer credits include: Mother Goose, An Evening from the West End, The New Adventures of Peter Pan (Nominated for Best Production, Best Scenery Design, Best Costume Design, Best Script and Best Dame at the UK Pantomime Awards 2025), Live & Outrageous, Viva Burlesque! (Mercury Theatre Colchester); Rice & Peas (in association with Blouse & Skirt!); Death Drop (World Premiere, The Garrick Theatre, West End); Tonight at the London Coliseum (Streamed Concerts); 40 Pantomimes (venues include: Chatham, Fareham, Liverpool, Southport, Halifax, Peterborough, Harlow, Barnstaple, Helston, Newark, York, Whitley Bay, Ipswich, Maidstone, Worthing and Salford); Peter Pan – A New Musical (International tour & Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne); Grease – The Musical (European tour); Secret Santa: The Frost Files (World Premiere – Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne); The Canterville Ghost (International tour); Rapunzel (UK tour); Romeo & Juliet (International tour); Robin Hood (International tour); The Hound of the Baskervilles (UK tour); Alice in Wonderland (UK & European tour); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (International tour); Hamlet (European tour); The Wizard of Oz (UK & European tour); The Lost Dragon (Harlow Playhouse); King Arthur’s Kitchen (USA tour); 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Harlow Playhouse/UK tour); Judy & Liza (UK tour); The Snow Queen (UK tour); Barry Manilow’s Copacabana (Harlow Playhouse/UK tour); Peter Pan – A Rock Musical (European tour); Boris & Ingrid (UK & International tour in association with Mercury Theatre Colchester); An Ideal Husband (European tour); Pride & Prejudice (European tour); The Shakespeare Review (Litchfield Garrick) and Your Nation Loves You (Delirium/Old Vic).
Directorial credits include: The New Adventures of Peter Pan (Mercury Theatre Colchester), Rapunzel (UK tour); Robin Hood (International tour); The Hound of the Baskervilles (UK tour); What Are They Like? (Warwick Arts Centre); Pride & Prejudice (European tour); Snoopy – The Musical, Avenue Q and Me & My Girl (Jersey Opera House); Cinderella (Harlow Playhouse); Peter Pan – A New Musical (International tour); The Lost Dragon (Harlow Playhouse); Cinderella (York Barbican); Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations (Jersey Arts Centre); Accidents Happen (Tristan Bates, London); Stage by Stage (UK tour); Grimm Tales (Jersey Arts Centre); Divas (UK tour); Macbeth (Regional tour) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Unity Theatre, Liverpool). Writing credits include: Pantomime adaptations of Cinderella; Aladdin; Snow White; The Snow Queen; Treasure Island; Robin Hood; Rapunzel; Peter Pan; Dick Whittington; Sleeping Beauty; Alice in Wonderland; a dramatic adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles; world premiere production of Secret Santa: The Frost Files. Dramatic adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Romeo & Juliet; The Canterville Ghost; Pride & Prejudice and An Ideal Husband (International touring – English speaking) and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (International tour).
Instagram: @antonystuarthicks
Dale Superville
Billy the Goose
Dale thinks he trained!
Theatre credits include: Carter/Wyatt in ...
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Dale Superville
Billy the Goose
Dale thinks he trained!
Theatre credits include: Carter/Wyatt in Witness for the Prosecution (London County Hall); Fawlty Towers (West End); Smee in The New Adventures of Peter Pan, Spud in Sleeping Beauty, Almondé in Beauty and the Beast and Humphrey the Camel in Aladdin (Mercury Theatre); The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (The Minack Theatre, Cornwall); Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland (APL Theatre); Patsy in Spamalot, Idle Jack in Dick Whittington, Wishee Washee in Aladdin, Centipede in James and the Giant Peach, Toad in Wind in the Willows, Muddles in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Day-Z in Jack and the Beanstalk, Miley in Cinderella, Sir Percy Porter in Habeas Corpus, Buttons in Cinderella, Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops To Conquer, Oh What A Lovely War and Dick Whittington (Mercury Theatre Colchester); Scarecrow in OZ (APL Theatre); Forever Young and Grandpa in My Pocket (Nottingham Playhouse/UK tour); Absent Friends, Dick Whittington, Wishee Washee in Aladdin & Fruitella in Cinderella (Watford Palace Theatre); Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter in Romeo and Juliet and Pinocchio (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Ariel in the UK tour of Return to the Forbidden Planet (Basingstoke Haymarket); George in The Knight Of The Burning Pestle (Mercury Theatre Colchester/Barbican Theatre); Toad in The Wind In The Willows (Oldham Coliseum); Simply Heavenly (Ambassador Theatre Group and Young Vic); Rumplestilskin (Unicorn Theatre); Epsom Downs (Nuffield Theatre); Doc Faust (Forest Forge); Mother Goose and Cinderella (Salisbury Playhouse); Tom’s Midnight Garden (London and New York); Big Nose (Coventry Belgrade Theatre); Having A Ball, Fings Ain’t What They Used T’be and Of Mice and Men (Queens Theatre Hornchurch); Jungle Book (Redgrave Theatre, Farnham); Aladdin (Salisbury Theatre); Alice in Wonderland, Puss In Boots, The Last Noo – Noo, Stardog, Charlotte’s Web and The Patchwork Quilt (Polka Theatre); Babies (Palace Theatre, Westcliff); You’re Thinking About Doughnuts (Nottingham Playhouse); A Song from the Sea (Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich) and A Lesson To Forgive (The Man in the Moon).
Television credits: Way to Go (BBC3); Nuzzle and Scratch (CBBC); Tick Tock (Disney); The World at Their Feet (Disney Channel); Bill’s New Frock (CH4) and Rainbow Days (ITV).
Voice Over credits: Tony in Doctor Who – The Diary of River Song (BBC) and Sausage in Mimi’s World (CH5).
Kemi Clarke
Bailey
Kemi is a Mancunian actor who trained at Rose Bruford College.
Theatre credits include: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (UK Tour); Just So (Watermill Theatre); The Aliens (Ducdame Theatre); Scouts! The Musical (The Other Palace); Tom’s Midnight Garden (Theatre by the Lake); Merboy (Campfire/Omnibus Theatre); Robin Hood (City Varieties Music Hall); Fame (Christmas Theater, Athens); The Gruffalo (West End & UK Tour).
Daisy Greenwood
Gracie Goose
Daisy Greenwood trained at The London School of Musical Theatre, ...
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Daisy Greenwood
Gracie Goose
Daisy Greenwood trained at The London School of Musical Theatre, having previously studied under Michael Xavier at MX Masterclass.
She is thrilled to return to the Mercury Theatre Colchester this Christmas as Gracie Goose – 10 years after appearing there in the Junior Chorus. A Colchester native, Daisy studied Musical Theatre at Colchester Institute and even completed her work experience here at the Mercury, making this production particularly close to her heart and very much a full circle moment.
In 2024, Daisy appeared as Abigail Henson in Becoming Nancy at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, a role she first developed in the 2023 workshop. She also appeared in the 10th anniversary concert of Made in Dagenham at the London Palladium and has performed in There Is Nothing Like a Dame at Cadogan Hall, Christmas with the Stars and Monday at the Musicals at The Actors’ Church in Covent Garden.
In 2024 she workshopped a new comedy, We Three Queens, playing the role of Mahala. Daisy is an experienced Presenter, having delivered workshops to thousands of young people nationwide, and recently directed her third music video with an elite group of young musical theatre performers.
Instagram/Tiktok: @daisygreenwood_
Sasha Latoya
Fairy Fortuna
Sasha Latoya studied at Bath Spa University and The New York Film Academy, graduating from her BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre in 2012.
Stage credits include: Yesterday – A Tribute to the Beatles (European tour, 2012); RENT (Greenwich Theatre/Tabard, London, 2012/2013); Page to Stage (Landor Theatre, London, 2014); Accidental Song (Canal Café Theatre, London); Fairy Queen in Claus The Musical (Landor Theatre, London, 2014); Voices & Lyrics (Octagon Theatre, Manchester, 2014); National tour with The HoneyBuns (Spirit Productions, Britain’s Got Talent – Semi-finalist, 2015); Fairy Honeybun in Sleeping Beauty (South Wales tour, 2015/2016); Little Shop of Horrors (UK tour); Flashdance (UK/International tour); Buddy – The Story of Buddy Holly (2019); Aladdin (Mercury Theatre, 2021/2022); Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (UK tour, 2022); Beauty and the Beast (Mercury Theatre, 2022/2023); Sleeping Beauty (Mercury Theatre, 2023/2024) and The New Adventures of Peter Pan (Mercury Theatre, 2024/2025).
TV & Film credits include: Unbreakable (2021); Stop The Show (2021); Banglatown (2021); Peter Pan (2021); Highways (2022); The B@it seasons 2–5 (2019–2022); Wet Look (2022); Get Pulped (2023); Chase The Musical (2023); American Road Trip (2024); DOCTORS (BBC, 2024); Call the Midwife (2025) and Date Me Not (2025).
Sasha is absolutely thrilled to be back at the Mercury Theatre for Mother Goose this Christmas!
X/Instagram: @TheSashaLatoya
Jaimie Pruden
Bellinora Badapple
Credits include: Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); Assassins (...
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Jaimie Pruden
Bellinora Badapple
Credits include: Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); Assassins (Chichester Festival Theatre); Spite in Beauty and the Beast (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); u/s Sheryl & Resident Director in Little Miss Sunshine (UK Tour); u/s Jenny & Susan in Company (Gielgud Theatre, West End); Lily in The Secret Garden (Barn Theatre, Cirencester); Mary Poppins in Disney’s Believe (Disney Cruise Lines) and Jane Fairfax in Emma (Nebraska Repertory Theatre).
Nathan Rigg
Ensemble/Understudy
Nathan was born and raised in Wivenhoe, near Colchester, and ...
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Nathan Rigg
Ensemble/Understudy
Nathan was born and raised in Wivenhoe, near Colchester, and is a very familiar face to the Mercury Theatre. He first performed here in 2010 in their Christmas pantomime, Aladdin, and then continued to perform as part of the pantomime as well as with the Colchester Operatic Society until he went to study at the Guildford School of Acting.
He has since performed in the London Palladium’s touring production of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, in the Bridge Theatre’s acclaimed Guys and Dolls, directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner, and more recently played Mike in the Curve’s production of A Chorus Line, which toured Japan this autumn.
He is so happy to return home this Christmas, to reconnect with some old cast-mates, and enjoy the Christmas spirit with a new Mercury family.
Dee Dee Rivers
Ensemble/Understudy
Training: Dee Dee has recently graduated with a First Class ...
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Dee Dee Rivers
Ensemble/Understudy
Training: Dee Dee has recently graduated with a First Class Degree in Musical Theatre from Emil Dale Academy.
Credits whilst training include: Dance Captain in 9 to 5: The Musical (Factory Playhouse); Dance Captain in My Favourite Year (Emil Dale Academy); Carrie in Carousel (Emil Dale Academy).
Professional credits include: Alana Dale in Robbin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood (The Sub Rooms, Stroud); Ensemble/Cover in Robin Hood (Thorington Theatre); Character and Parade Performer at Disneyland Paris; Dancer for Taylor Made Events and the Fearlessly Taylor Tribute; Immersive actor at Wyvernwood.
Dee Dee is absolutely thrilled to be spending Christmas back at the Mercury Theatre after spending two years in the junior chorus as a child! She wishes you all a wonderful festive season and hopes you enjoy the show.
Creatives
Director – Natasha Rickman
Designer – Jasmine Swan
Creative Consultant – Antony Stuart-Hicks
Lighting Designer – Jane Lalljee
Sound Designer – Lex Kosanke
Assistant Director – Dale Superville
Writer – David Phipps-Davis
Musical Director/Arranger – Joshua Tarrier
Choreographer – Rosie Mather
Fight Coordinator – Cree Rayner
Book Tickets
Date
Time
Price
Accessibility
Book Now
Date
Thu 15 January 2026
Time
7:30pm
Price
£26.00 - £43.00
Accessibility
Sold Out
Note: This is an adult performance, 18+ only
Date
Fri 16 January 2026
Time
7:30pm
Price
£26.00 - £43.00
Accessibility
Sold Out
Note: This is an adult performance and BSL interpreted performance, 18+ only
Date
Sat 17 January 2026
Time
2:00pm
Price
£10.00 - £30.00
Accessibility
Note: This is a captioned performance
Date
Sat 17 January 2026
Time
7:00pm
Price
£10.00 - £30.00
Accessibility
Note: This is an audio described performance, with touch tour available
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