HANSEL and Gretel is one of the most well-known fairy tales of all time and it's about to hit Hampshire.

Starting tonight, Titchfield Festival Theatre is delighted to perform this much loved story as a pantomime, following 2015’s hugely successful production of The Nutcracker.

Hansel and Gretel is a magical family show, full of music, laughter and jokes which both young and old are sure to enjoy. And like any panto, there needs to be a dame of course …. This year that role will be performed by Dame Frantic, Hansel and Gretel’s mother.

Hansel and Gretel are certainly like any brother and sister: they’re cheeky and mischievous, squabbling each day as they live a happy life with their mother in a lovely village set in the Austrian Tyrolean countryside.

One day, their world is turned upside down when they are threatened by the mean old Squire Grouchy… and somehow they have to find some back rent to pay! Perhaps a spot of mushroom picking in the forest might help, but who does that beautiful sweetie house belong to?

Abandoned in the scary forest, Hansel and Gretel must stop their quarrelling and work together to defeat the wicked witch – and avoid being cooked for dinner…Who is the mysterious woodcutter that Gretel falls in love with and will Hansel find his true love?

The script, which has specially written for this year’s panto by Titchfield Festival Theatre member Emma Bevan, contains lots of laughs, plenty of panto puns and of course beautiful music, with some songs based on the original score of the opera by Engelbert Humperdinck.

Performances are on various dates from tonight until Saturday December 16 with both evening and matinee shows available.

To buy tickets, visit titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com or call the box office on 01329 556156.