The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre’s festive family treat Cinderella opened this week. Full of big song and dance routines, spectacular scenery, dazzling costumes and lots of jokes, the pantomime sees Cinders attempts to outwit her evil stepsisters with the help of her devoted best friend Buttons and magical Fairy Godmother.
The cast feature some very well-known Riverfront Panto faces including Gareth Tempest as Prince Charming, Michael Geary as Baron Hardup and Richard Elis as Ugly Sister Candy. This festive period Richard gets a new partner in crime as his sister Flossie is played by Geraint Rhys Edwards; together the pair will surely steal the show as they make things difficult for Cinderella (Laura Meaton), her best friend Buttons (Kieron Self from My Family) and her Fairy Godmother (Rachel Waring).
Alongside the performances this year The Riverfront is offering audiences of all ages the opportunity to meet the cast on stage after selected shows. This exclusive opportunity allows families and groups to upgrade their panto experience and have their photograph taken with selected characters. There are limited slots available for this exclusive opportunity to meet the cast on the Cinderella set so audiences are advised to book early so they don’t miss out.
The Riverfront building is in the Cinderella spirit this year as its gallery space has been transformed into an emporium of full of light up treasures and edible goodies which are available to buy. The space is also decorated with a lot of baddies thanks to a display of ugly sisters artwork created by pupils at St Mary’s and Maindee Primary Schools who were lucky enough to take part in a panto workshop sponsored by Western Power Distribution earlier this month. The Riverfront Café will also be serving a festive afternoon tea on selected dates throughout the festive period, perfect for a pre or post show treat.
As ever, The Riverfront are encouraging its audience to come along dressed up; whether you come as a hero, villain, princess, prince, ugly sister, or anything from the bottom of your fancy dress box, The Riverfront can’t wait to see your panto pictures online with #RiverfrontPanto!
Cinderella runs from Thursday 28 November until Saturday 4 January. Many performances are close to selling out, so book your tickets soon by calling 01633 656757 or visiting tickets.newportlive.co.uk.
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Cinderella photographs by Kirsten McTernan