A gloriously magical production that could make even the grinch feel warm and festive
After a rather sad afternoon spent at the New Wimbledon Theatre, watching a disappointing production of Robin Hood – I hopped over the road to spend the evening with Cinderella at Richmond Theatre where my faith in pantomime magic was restored!
Boom Boom! Basil Brush as Baron Basil
Interestingly, the Wicked Stepmother has been replaced by Basil Brush (Baron Basil) in this production. He isn’t really wicked, he seems to be just there for a good time and appears to be living his best ‘boom boom’ panto life!
This means the Wicked Stepsisters (Verruca and Hernia) have to take up the iconic stepmothers lines but it works just as well. As the Wicked Stepsisters, Stephen Guarino and Jak Allen-Anderson are deliciously awful. Declaring “aren’t we gorgeous” every time they enter the stage – each time in bigger and better costumes.
Call The Midwife star Helen George plays the Fairy Godmother
As well as film and TV, Helen is known for her theatre work in West End shows like The Woman In White, Love Never Dies and more recently The King and I. She has a lovely voice and whilst it isn’t the biggest role in the show, she still manages to sparkle.
Charlie Stemp – a triple threat
West End and Broadway star Charlie Stemp is one of musical theatre’s few triple threats (excelling in singing, acting and dancing) and is no exception as Buttons. Warm and loveable (the kind of character your mum would love if you took him home).
His comedy shines in the song “Everything I Do, I Do It For You” which is hilariously slapstick involving trying to get Cinderella away from Prince Charming so she will fall in love with him.
They’re joined by musical theatre performers Michael Lin as Dandini, 2025 West End Wilma Award Nominee Tom Major as Prince Charming and Hope Dawe as Cinderella, who returns to Richmond Theatre after starring in last year’s production of Beauty and the Beast.
Having seen the flying horses in this years Nottingham production, I wondered if Richmond would be able to create something equally as magic – and OMG they did.
They may not have flown, but on stage stood a carriage to take Cinderella to the ball, pulled by two white real-life shetland ponies!!!! That was incredible.
A special shout out to the Ensemble Performers:
- Lucia Coleman
- Luke Jarvis
- Hannah Morcos
- Rowen Newsome
- Emily Rose-Davis
- Sienna Walker
What I really enjoyed about this production was that the script was 75% the same as this year’s Nottingham production of Cinderella.
REVIEW: CINDERELLA (Theatre Royal Nottingham) -December 2025
Why was that a good thing?
Because it was a lesson in how a creative team take a script and make it their own with sets/costumes/direction/choreography to create their own show.
And what a team they had to do this. None other than pantomime legend Gary Wilmot (Director) and choreographer Stephen Mear.
Cinderella at Richmond Theatre is a gloriously magical production that could make even the grinch feel warm and festive.
★★★★★
West End Wilma
Cinderella is playing at Richmond Theatre until 4 January 2026
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