Tuesday September 8th 2026
Gail Watson performing as Dolly in 'Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas' at this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Bonnyrigg actress Gail Watson is set to return to the King’s Theatre this Christmas as the much-loved Edinburgh panto makes its long-awaited homecoming.
The historic theatre is reopening its doors to Capital Theatres’ annual festive spectacular after years away, with The Adventures of Pinocchio running from Saturday, November 28, 2026 until Sunday, January 17, 2027.
There will be a familiar face for Midlothian audiences, with Bonnyrigg born-and-bred Watson taking to the stage as Phyllis the Fox.
The actress has enjoyed another successful year, recently completing a Fringe run of Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas at the Gilded Balloon.
The show, which originally premiered more than a decade ago, reunited Watson with its original cast and attracted strong reviews and large audiences, with broadcaster Graham Norton among those attending a performance.
It follows a successful Fringe appearance last year when Watson won the Leading Light Prize for her one-woman show Faye’s Red Lines.
Watson has long spoken about the importance of her Midlothian roots and the support she receives from audiences at home.
“I look at the audience every now and then and I can’t believe the amount of faces that are from my hometown,” she said during this year’s Fringe.
Watson fell in love with the arts from a young age, beginning as a dancer before moving into acting at around 18.
She and childhood friend and dance partner Sharon Jones later founded KIC Dance Studios at Ironmills Park in Dalkeith, transforming old football changing rooms into a hub for young dancers in Midlothian.
She has also become a strong supporter of the next generation of local performers, recently championing emerging Midlothian talent including Bonnyrigg’s Kari Hall and Nathan Dunn.
“I champion them all so much because I know how hard the industry is,” she said.
“This wee creative club that is coming out of Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith and Midlothian, I just want us all to have a wee party or a meal because none of us particularly came from families that have been in this business or creative backgrounds but we’ve punched through the industry.”
Now she will bring that experience to one of Edinburgh’s most iconic stages as part of the cast of The Adventures of Pinocchio.
The return of the panto comes as the historic Bruntsfield venue begins a new chapter following a major redevelopment. The King’s Theatre officially reopened to audiences on August 1 after more than three years of construction work, with the transformation creating one of the UK’s most accessible heritage theatres. The redevelopment includes new lifts serving every public level, step-free access from street to seat and stage, increased wheelchair provision, a new level stage and improved backstage facilities.
First opened in 1906, the Grade A-listed theatre has been at the heart of Edinburgh’s cultural life for more than a century and has long been known as the ‘People’s Theatre’.
King's Theatre after it's refurbishment (photo by Anneleen Lindsay)
Watson will be joined by some of Scotland’s best-known panto favourites, including Allan Stewart as May Geppetto, Grant Stott as the evil Stromboli and Jordan Young in the title role of Pinocchio.
Edinburgh favourite Clare Gray is also returning for her eighth year, this time playing mischievous Kitty the Cat, while musical theatre star C.J. Borger – fresh from the West End production of Back to the Future, the Musical – will play Jiminy Cricket.
The return of the panto to the King’s Theatre is particularly significant, with the venue’s history and reopening forming a central part of this year’s story.
In the production, May Geppetto and Pinocchio are desperate to raise enough money to reopen their beloved King’s Theatre. They join the travelling puppet show run by the Great Stromboli after he promises them a share of the takings – but when their money is stolen, Pinocchio sets off on an adventure to recover it, save the theatre and prove he has what it takes to become a real boy.
The production combines the traditional magic of the Edinburgh panto with the history and much-loved traditions of the King’s Theatre, making its return to the venue part of the story itself.
Produced by Crossroads Pantomimes, The Adventures of Pinocchio promises song and dance numbers, spectacular special effects, colourful costumes, comedy and plenty of festive mayhem.
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