Panto season isn't limited to the UK. In Portugal's Algarve, the Algarveans theatre group is marking its 36th year with a pantomime version of Alice in Wonderland, staged at the Carlos do Carmo Auditorium in Lagoa this November.

The show is based on Tom Whalley's panto adaptation of Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The familiar setup is there — Alice follows a white rabbit down a rabbit hole into a world of talking creatures — but with the extra silliness panto demands. The action unfolds at the Queen of Hearts' un-birthday party, where the wicked Knave is plotting to swipe the jam tarts. Alice gets help from a sassy Cheshire Cat, the Duchess and a decidedly mad Hatter as she tries to save Wonderland.

Co-directed by Frank Remiatte and Angela Theobold, the production involves more than 60 people. Lynda Marshall is handling the colourful costumes, Emma Batten the props, and Shelley Danca is choreographing the dance numbers, with music arranged by Shirley Devlin. Set builder Malcolm Marshall is constructing Wonderland itself at an off-site warehouse before it's installed at the auditorium, and production manager Jenny Morris-Marks is keeping the whole operation on track.

There are four performances: November 19, 20 and 21 at 7.30pm, plus a matinée on Saturday, November 21. Tickets cost €15 and are available through BOL.pt, in person at the Auditório Carlos do Carmo and the Município de Lagoa – Balcão Único, or via Worten and FNAC shops and websites. Note that the show is aimed at ages six and up and includes one strobe effect.

For travellers, this is a nicely offbeat evening option if you're in the Algarve in late November — a season when beach weather has faded but the region still has plenty going on. Panto is a loud, audience-participation-heavy British tradition built for families, so if you've never experienced one, this is a cheap and cheerful introduction. And for British expats and long-stay visitors in southern Portugal, it's a taste of a Christmas-season ritual that can otherwise be hard to find abroad. At €15 a ticket, it also undercuts most evening entertainment in the resort towns, and Lagoa itself sits conveniently between Portimão and Albufeira, making it an easy drive from either base.

Details in this brief come from Portugal Resident.