Spectacular and hilarious Civic panto Tickles, Beauty and the Beast

STEP into a world of enchantment and adventure as Belle, longing for something more, is whisked away to a mysterious castle.

But the setting isn’t just any castle; it’s alive with wonder, laughter, and a touch of chaos, thanks to the Civic Panto’s beloved comedy duo, Tickles & Dottie.

Will Belle look beyond the fearsome Beast’s gruff exterior and discover the kindness within?

Or will his stubborn ways doom him to a life of loneliness, losing not only his castle but also the one girl who just might change his fate forever?

Join the Civic Theatre for a spellbinding tale filled with magic, mischief, and plenty of panto fun at ‘Tickles, Beauty, and the Beast’, this year’s “spectacular and hilarious” Civic Panto.

The team who brought you ‘Jack & The Beanstalk’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Tickles and The Beanstalk’ return for The Civic Panto 2025.

This week, we sat down with Tralee-based Dublin actor and director Tim Landers, who plays Borris, Belle’s dad in ‘Tickles, Beauty & the Beast’, performing in the Civic from December 3 to January 4.

Book soon for the “best panto seats in town”.

What inspired you to make your Civic panto debut?

I’ve wanted to work in Dublin panto since my last one over 20 years ago, and after getting an audition a few years ago, I did a bit of research and heard the Civic was one of the best for the personnel involved and the family-friendly nature.

That info was spot on – now I didn’t get that job, but the audition experience was lovely, especially due to Rob Murphy and his team, and I remember saying I will work with that man someday, and here we are – dreams do come true!

What has been your favourite part of working on ‘Tickles, Beauty and the Beast’ so far, and why?

My favourite part was meeting the cast at the photoshoot and then the start of the rehearsal period; during the rehearsals, this cast have been all wonderful without exception – they are a friendly, funny, chatty, supportive bunch, and I have absolutely loved the collaboration.

I’ve been made to feel at home from the start.

Also, getting to finally work with Rob has been brilliant.

I’m a big fan of his work; we couldn’t have a better director at the helm, as he totally understands this genre.

What challenges have you encountered working on this production, and how have you overcome them?

Well, as I live in Tralee, Co. Kerry, finding accommodation was the first challenge, but as I do know a lot of people in the Irish musical theatre world, I put the feelers out, and before long our costume person, Andrew, put me in touch with a lovely lady called Emma, and I share an apartment now with her near Inchicore.

The second challenge is the travel to and from rehearsals using Dublin Coach and Irish Rail, but I’m used to that, coming up to Dublin for auditions for 25 years – for some people being away from home would be an issue, but I have been touring in the winter since 2023 across the UK, Ireland and Europe with the shows ‘Seven Drunken Nights’ and ‘Fairytale of New York’, so I’m used to it – it helps I don’t have any ties, partner or children, boo hoo! – also some people find scripts a challenge; I do at times, but this has been a joy, as it is very funny, and fair play to Rob that we have been encouraged to put our own stamp on each role and contribute to the script.

What do you usually do when you are preparing to perform in a production like this? Is there a particular routine you follow, or would you go with the flow?

Everyone’s different, but once I get the script in my hand, it’s my bible.

I tear into it, marking my exits and entrances, different movements, directors’ notes, where comedy needs to land, etc. I also do my research on the character and the songs I’m singing, and while one song has been a challenge in this panto, I think being pushed is good; it makes you work that bit harder and removes any cockiness or overconfidence – I’m part of a jigsaw, and I just have to bring my part of that jigsaw to each performance.

How would you describe the differences between starring in a production such as this or directing it?

I’ve done both, but being on stage is the better of the two, that’s for sure, because it’s where the fun begins, especially in panto when the ad libs and improvs start happening and the script goes out the window (I hope Rob is not reading this!). – I just know I am going to have a great laugh in Tallaght with this gang; honestly, I can’t wait!

What is next for you? Do you have any projects lined up for 2026?

I have started a group in Tralee called Tralee Film Collective , we made a film called ‘The Blue Punisher’ about a young man dealing with addiction this Summer which we will be submitting to festivals soon, and we will be starting film workshops for our members in January, where our members will learn how to make a film  and I also have two shorts that I appear in being released; one of them is Chameleon I’m really excited about – I play a serial killer.

My one-act play, ‘The Gift’, will be performed in Tralee in late January, and in the summer I will be directing the play ‘Bouncers’ for the stage. also I hope I will be a part of the cast of the Irish premiere of the ‘Prince of Egypt’ musical in April, so 2026 hopefully will be a year of more work, more projects, more excitement and a few surprises!

Who would you like to thank for helping you with work on the panto?

The brilliant cast, the fantastic team at the Civic Theatre and, above all, Rob Murphy, who has been an absolute joy to work with; I hope it’s not my last show with him and this cast.