The Churchill Theatre – until 31st December 2023
Reviewed by Amber Mills
5*****
A truly magical panto that transports you to a place where dreams come true and “Anythings possible”.
This particular version of Cinderella tells the tale of two abusive stepdaughters who are invited to a royal ball, leaving behind a sister whom they call Cinderella. Her fairy godmother appears and grants Cinderella’s wish to go to the ball, magically providing a coach, servants, a dress, and perfectly fitted glass slippers. Assisted by his royal liege Dandini, the prince is looking for true happiness and a princess to boot.
I was welcomed into the Churchill by friendly, full-out festive staff who were all very smiley and very helpful.
The highlight of the show for me was Baron Hardup who was played by the very talented magician and ventriloquist John Kimmon. This was a first for me seeing a ventriloquist act in a panto, but it’s one I will never forget. John performs two ventriloquist acts during the show and both had the audience uncontrollably laughing throughout. To have a ventriloquist in a panto I think is very special and adds to traditional panto elements.
The flamboyant ugly stepsisters, Verruca (played by Jak Allen-Anderson) and Hernia (played by Darren Bennett) were a “gorgeous duo” who work hand in hand and never failed to impress with the jokes.
Buttons, who is played by Steven Dalziel, is a very versatile performer in my opinion. He was always full of life when on stage and loved by the kids.
He particularly had me in stitches at the end when the Prince Charming (Tom Dickerson), Dandini (Barry O’Reilly), Buttons (Steven Dalziel), and Baron Hardup (John Kimmons) perform the end song sheet. I thought each individuals performance during this was superb.
The duet between the fairy Godmother (Brenda Edward’s) and Cinderella (Tia Gyngell) was just angelic and a lovely way to end Act 1 . A remarkable moment in the show was Cinderella’s sparkly floating carriage at the end of Act 1. The Twins FX, are a company that specialises in theatrical visual special effects, illusions, and animatronics. All illusions that were in the show were top notch and seamless. Having elements involved like this in Cinderella elevates the whole fantasy fairytale world that panto is and especially makes it even more captivating for the children.
As well as having incredible special effects, the set for Cinderella was top class, not to mention everyone’s spectacular costumes throughout. Two costumes in particular that caught my eye were the dancing pumpkins and every outfit that Verruca and Hernia were in. The glittering pumpkin costumes glistened in the spotlights and complemented the precise and stylish dancers. Every costume Verruca and Hernia’s came out in were pristine and uniquely inventive which added another layer of comedy to what was already a hilarious show.
There was never a dull moment and the buzz of the audience afterwards, (especially the kids) was second to none. It was an extremely artistic and enchanting pantomime with lots of audience interaction and a must watch for the family if you want to be filled with joy and laughter.