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This Christmas sees Cinderella brought to life on stage at St Helens Theatre Royal and, spoiler alert, it’s bloody brilliant!
“Cinderella tells the story of a beautiful girl who is reduced to a life of servitude by her two ugly step-sisters, but that is all set to change when an invitation to a grand ball at the palace arrives. With a bit of magic and some help from her friend Buttons, Cinderella is transformed in to the belle of the ball. But what will happen at the stroke of midnight? With real Shetland ponies, enchanted pumpkins and a sparkling fairy-tale carriage and filled with festive fun to entertain the whole family, Cinderella promises to be the most lavish pantomime in all the land!”
We were lucky enough to head over to St Helens Theatre Royal for the press performance, taking with us Amy’s best friend Erin as a special festive treat.
The casting for this year’s performance of Cinderella at St Helens Theatre Royal was absolutely spot on. Coronation Street’s Kimberly Hart-Simpson makes a beautiful Cinderella. Britain’s Got Talent winner, comedian and musician Jon Courtenay playing Dandini was a huge highlight from his constant comedic “out for character” moments asking for more lines or reading the stage directions to his special panto song performed at the Royal Ball or his impressive aim with “five toilet roooooolls” – he had us in stitches.
BTG runner up and local lad, Jamie Leahey and puppet Chuck were a brilliant addition to the panto – I hadn’t seen Jamie on Britain’s Got Talent but Mich and Erin were already big fans so had been super excited when they’d realised he was on the bill and I was quickly swept up by his incredible talent! (It’s worth mentioning that because of Jamie’s age, he won’t be appearing in every show so if you are keen to see him you’ll want to check those dates when you book.) St Helens favourite Lewis Devine as Buttons brought his familiar brand of cheek, comedy timing and physical comedy – it wouldn’t be a St Helens panto without Lewis! Joe Sleight was equal parts handsome and cheesy – just what you want from Prince Charming.
We’ve been to St Helens Theatre Royal for a few pantos over the years but this year’s Cinderella was far and away the best – in fact I might go so far as to say it was the best panto I’ve seen! I haven’t laughed so much in ages. The show was the perfect mix of sequins, smut and panto traditions – the costumes were incredible with plenty of glitz and glamour – they were generally over the top in the best possible way. Special shout out to the costumes of the Ugly Sisters who had a spectacular new outfit every single time they came on stage – we especially loved the Lidl & Aldi dresses!
This year’s panto at St Helens Theatre Royal is packed with political references, TikTok trends and plenty of well-chosen songs. There’s audience participation, jokes for the kids and even more jokes for the grown ups (lots of times I looked over at Amy and Erin and the humour had gone right over their heads!) – I was crying with laughter and we left the theatre buzzing as we shared all our highlights with each other.
Panto is such a bonkers British tradition but one that the team at Regal Entertainment have absolutely nailed at St Helens Theatre Royal this Christmas.
Cinderella runs at St Helens Theatre Royal from Saturday 3rd December 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023. For more info visit www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com
Photo Credits: David Munn Photography
PS – I must give a big shout out to the staff at St Helens Theatre Royal and the lovely lady in a bright pink coat with an ITV badge on who came to our rescue when poor Amy ended up being sick at the top of the stairs after the show! Everyone was so kind and helpful – she had been complaining of a headache during the show and I’m just so glad she managed not to be poorly during the performance but it wasn’t quite the ending to the evening any of us would have wanted! Luckily she was absolutely fine after a good night’s sleep!
Why not read these posts next:
What’s on at the theatre in Manchester this Christmas?
Our Ultimate Guide to Christmas
Festive days out in Manchester
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