THE ALL-STAR CAST OF CINDERELLA PROVE DARLINGTON AUDIENCES WILL HAVE A BALL THIS CHRISTMAS!
The stars of this year’s Civic Theatre pantomime made an early visit to Darlington last Friday to officially launch the show in true fairytale style! Ashleigh Butler and her loveable dog Pudsey were joined by Brendan Sheerin and Niki Evans, plus a beautiful horse-drawn carriage. For an added bit of pantomime magic the Fairy Godmother even made it snow!
The Britain’s Got Talent winning duo Ashleigh & Pudsey lead the cast of Cinderella in the title role, and her cute and faithful friend. Since winning the nationwide talent show they have enjoyed phenomenal international demand, including their own TV show for CBBC, made appearances on American television, released a best-selling autobidography and even starred in their own film – Pudsey the Dog: The Movie. No strangers to the stage, Ashleigh & Pudsey have starred in pantomimes for the past three Christmas seasons. Taking a coach trip of a very different kind Brendan Sheerin was also in attendance. The popular host of the Channel 4 hit Coach Trip stars as Baron Hardup alongside X Factor star Niki Evans in the role of Fairy Godmother. Having reached the semi-finals of the show Niki has gone on to enjoy a successful stage career with starring roles in Blood Brothers and Legally Blonde, in addition to her recording work.
This year’s pantomime will also feature legendary disco star Dooby Duck in an entertaining, if highly strung, sequence at the Royal Ball! Hatched in 1981 the prized puppet made several high-profile stage appearances including the Children’s Royal Variety Performance and several acclaimed pantomimes. He also had three hugely successful series for BBC TV; Dooby Duck’s Disco Bus, Dooby’s Duck Truck and Dooby Duck’s Euro Tour as well as making other television, theatre and cabaret appearances across the world.
Michael Harrison, managing director of Qdos Entertainment, producers of the show, and executive producer of Cinderella said “We’re delighted to be bringing the magic of Cinderella to Darlington this Christmas, especially with such a talented cast. Ashleigh & Pudsey are perfect for panto and will delight audiences with their fabulous routines. With Brendan’s wonderful personality and sense of humour, Niki’s fabulous voice and Dooby’s legendary disco routines, plus our stunning scenery, music, comedy and dance, Darlington audiences are definitely in for an unmissable treat this Christmas.”
Lynda Winstanley, Theatre Director said: “This is such a magical time of year for us – we are delighted to be presenting Cinderella, as our fabulous annual pantomime which is always such a wonderful treat – bringing families into our historic venue for fun and laughter during the festive season.’’
Cinderella runs at Darlington Civic Theatre from Saturday 5 December 2015 to Sunday 10 January 2016. Tickets are available from 01325 486555 or by visiting darlingtoncivic.co.uk.