This Holiday Season, fly over the rainbow with Lythgoe Family Panto’s THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ! Join Mackenzie Ziegler (“Dancing with the Stars: Juniors”, “DanceMoms”) as Dorothy, Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur (“Celebrity Big Brother ” Winner and Broadway’s Hairspray) as Glinda, Kermit the Frog® as the Wizard of Oz, Jared Gertner (Broadway’s The Book of Mormon) as The Scarecrow, Phil LaMarr (“Mad TV” and “Pulp Fiction”) as The Tin Man, Juan Pablo Di Pace (“Dancing With The Stars” and “Fuller House”) as The Cowardly Lion, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer (Nickelodeon’s “The Fresh Beat Band”, ‘Cha Cha’ on FOX’s “Grease: Live!”, National Tour of In the Heights) as The Wicked Witch of the West, Hailee Payne and Valerie Rockey (of “So You Think You Can Dance”) and Rescue Dog Pickle C. Irwin as Toto.

An updated version of the beloved classic, in the style of a traditional British family Panto, THE WONDERFUL WINTER OF OZ features family-friendly magic, with a comedic twist, dancing (with “So You Think You Can Dance” alumni), contemporary music and more. December 15 – 30 at Pasadena Civic Auditorium (300 East Green Street, Pasadena CA 91101). TIX: https://bit.ly/2yUBhpf

Tickets start at $40 and Family Four Packs for just $99 can be purchased at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, online at www.thepasadenacivic.com or by calling 800-982-2787. Golden Tickets, which allow the ticket holder (children ages 4 – 12 only) a special on-stage experience during the production, are available for an additional $75.00 each.  Group discounts (for groups of 8 or more) are available by emailing groups@americanpanto.com. This will be the seventh holiday season of Lythgoe Family Panto in Pasadena, and the second at the Pasadena Civic.

Winter Wonderland: Audience members can enjoy this FREE pre-show celebration featuring crafts, games, Santa Claus (on select days), photo opportunities, and more! Starts one hour prior to curtain time.

Previously Lythgoe Family Panto established their reputation with productions including Beauty and the Beast: A Christmas Rose starring Kellie Berglund, James Snyder and Gedde Watanabe, A Cinderella Christmas starring Lauren Taylor, Alex Newell and Morgan Fairchild, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell – A Pirates Christmas starring Sabrina Carpenter and John O’Hurley, Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight starring Olivia Holt and Lucy Lawless, Aladdin and His Winter Wish starring Ben Vereen, Jordan Fisher, and Ashley Argota – and A Snow White Christmas starring Ariana Grande and Neil Patrick Harris.

Lythgoe Family Panto produces fun, musical theatre the whole family can enjoy. Known for their creativity and involvement in television hits “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” the Lythgoes are dedicated to bringing affordable theatre to families across America. Based on the Grimm fairytales and others, each story has been modernized with topical scripts for parents and well known pop songs for kids. The Lythgoes pride themselves on creating a memorable experience a family can share together. In 2017 over 6000 title 1 students were introduced by the Lythgoe’s to live theatre, through the medium of Panto.