Cast, Doncaster – until 4th January 2026
Reviewed by Sophie Dodworth
4****
Tis the season to purchase your theatre tickets for your favourite Christmas pantomime and join in the merriment! If you are looking for some special tickets and wondering if your hard-earned cash should be spent on this pantomime, then the answer is a big fat yes…read along to find out why.
Almost everyone knows the tale of Cinderella, the hard working, hard-done-to, kind sister, unfortunate enough to live with her evil ugly stepsisters. When the Royal Ball is announced, she yearns to go. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, she manages to attend, meets the wonderful Prince who falls madly in love with her. In a rush to leave, with the clock striking midnight, she leaves her infamous glass slipper behind. Will the Prince be able to reunite the Glass slipper with its owner?
The cast and crew of this rendition of Cinders have clearly worked tremendously hard, to produce a very well-polished and tight 2 hours of magic, right from the start, the capable cast and ensemble swoon you with the catchy musical numbers. Some excellent vocals right at the start from ensemble member Cameron Duncan. What a beautiful voice he has. As we wander through the famous tale, the solid talent keeps on coming. With the most wonderful version of ‘Obviously’ delivered by Buttons (played by Tasha Dowd) what perfect tones and musicality they have. Joe Parker playing Prince Charming has the most beautiful musical theatre voice, many of his moments sound pre-recorded, it is that faultless. Keeley Fitzgerald needs a big round of applause with being able to deliver the performances she does, two extremely contrasting characters, with playing both the Fairy Godmother and Dandini. The Dame duo really need to take an extra bow as they had the auditorium belly-laughing right from the start. Great performance from both of the multi-talented pair, Ben Eagle (Donna) and Adam Porter Smith (Cassie). Dames always impress when they manage to be so quick witted, off script, with the audience participation, which is something that doesn’t go amiss when they have some children on the stage and there are some local gags made, creating a wave of giggles.
The set was aesthetically splendid to the eye right from the start with glitter splashed all over the stage surround, rapid changes to keep the audience on their toes and some props were really quite wonderful, like the glowing horse and cart which seemed to be almost flying with its animatronics as it was ready to take Cinderella to the ball. Hats off to the production team. They also impressed with the costumes, especially Cinderella’s sparkly gown and the multiple hilarious outfit changes that the ‘Babes from Bawtry’ (Ugly Sisters) wore.
Everything that a pantomime should be – fun, current, sparkly and the perfect Christmas treat.