Cinderella, you shall go to the ball – or at least to the Theatre Royal Nottingham.
It’s officially December which means only one thing: panto season is upon us. My second of 2025 (after the ★★★★★ Growled at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern) was last night’s Cinderella at the Theatre Royal Nottingham.
The story is timeless: poor Cinderella is worked to the bone by her wicked stepmother and ghastly stepsisters. When Prince Charming invites every eligible woman in town to a grand ball in search of a bride, Cinderella is ordered to rip up her ticket and stay home.
Enter her Fairy Godmother, who conjures a dazzling makeover and a carriage fit for royalty—so long as Cinderella is home by midnight before the magic fades. Will she be rescued by the prince and live happily ever after? Of course she will. It’s panto!
Craig Revel Horwood, Strictly judge and seasoned villain, revels in the role of the Wicked Stepmother, delivering everything the audience wants: acidic wit, iconic catchphrases, and deliciously evil presence.
Neil Hurst, writer of The Other Palace Studio’s annual show (with Jodie Prenger), makes a charming and heartfelt Buttons, forever doting on Cinderella while plotting to keep the prince at arm’s length.
Christina Bianco is a sparkling highlight as the Fairy Godmother. Her impressions segment is a riot and the kind of thing that is missing from the London Palladium pantos.
Stephenson Ardern-Sodje is a delightful Prince Charming, with vocals so controlled and effortless that even mid–on-stage chaos can’t shake him.
The Wicked Sisters, played by Britt Lenting and May Tether, are a riotous double act, complete with wigs that grow more outrageous with every entrance.
It’s occasionally not the most politically correct production, and the cute-but-somewhat-unsettling mice look like they’re one bad day away from a stint in panto rehab—but overall, it’s a vibrant, joyful show with a glittering set and even flying horses.
Cinderella runs until Sunday 4 January 2026 at the Theatre Royal Nottingham. If you’re local, you’ll have a ball.
trch.co.uk
★★★★★
West End Wilma
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