A DISNEY classic will be performed in panto this Christmas despite the coronavirus rules in place.

Beauty and the Beast will be acted out at the Victoria Hall Theatre between December 11 and 31.

The production will see 42 shows, with three a day and each performance lasting an hour.

To comply with social distancing restrictions, the capacity of people allowed in the venue will be reduced by 66 per cent from 1,255 to 263.

“Be our guest this Christmas, a Covid-friendly socially distanced production” is the show’s strapline.

Operations and facilities manager Josh Orme said the theatre only got the go-ahead from Bolton Council yesterday.

Josh, who praised the council’s environment health team for its support, said: “We are only one of a few places that will be having a panto this year.

“We feel we need to give the families of Bolton quality live entertainment for a low price.

“It is going to be a massive morale boost for Bolton with what we have been through since Covid.

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without a panto.”

Victoria Hall has remained “very much open” during the pandemic as it has provided a base for outreach groups.

But it is vital that it reopens to allow money to come back in through theatre ticket sales.

It was hoped that a pantomime was going to take place there in Easter, before it was put back to the summer, which was then moved to October, and was axed again.

But now approval has been granted staff can look forward to planning ahead and putting on a show for the audience.

“This will be our first concert and we need to be open to be financially stable”, Josh said.

“We were not able to secure any grants locally or nationally during the pandemic.

“Now we are open it will give us a lifeline.

“We have been open for 120 years and we want to be open for 120 more.”

Josh added that the venue is following all the guidelines to make the shows “as safe and as comfortable as possible” for theatregoers.

The cast has not been revealed yet but will be announced on the venue’s social media channels in the coming weeks.

Tickets will go on sale on Monday. For more details go to www.victoriahallbolton.co.uk.

Tickets for the opening weekend will be priced at £5.