It isn’t Christmas until you’ve visited a pantomime, and Cinderella at Cardiff’s New Theatre double ticks all the boxes for a great evening of family fun, laughter and cheer.
True to tradition this spectacular offering starring the inimitable Gok Wan has goodies, baddies, slapstick and innuendo in abundance, but what makes it special is the immediate engagement between the characters and the audience.
This is due in part to the sheer energy and animation of comedian and magician, Phil Butler as Buttons, who impresses by keeping the audience laughing at the same time as ensuring that the plot progresses.
Fairy Gokmother, Gok Wan is a natural on stage, raising a huge cheer whenever he appears. He certainly has his hands full offering style tips to our two ugly sisters, Tess and Claudia! played with hilarity by local legends Ceri Dupree and Mike Doyle.
With more costume changes than a whole Cher tour, their professionalism, verbal dexterity (you have to be there to find out) and use of local comedy is a masterclass in pantomime dame hood.
There is nothing more exciting with panto than its tendency to be unpredictable, and true to form, we were even more endeared to our Fairy Gokmother after he had inadvertently launched a bundle of toilet rolls into the audience!
This production of Cinderella, stays true to the original, and Rob Wilshaw and Teleri Hughes are just ‘charming’ as our heroine and her prince. Excellent vocals and great choreography coupled with opulent fairy tale costumes, provide the breath-taking spectacle that all great pantomimes strive to achieve.
The true bench-mark of a great panto, is the reaction of the audience, it’s fair that last night’s almost raised the roof and there couldn’t have been any better way than this for the New Theatre to celebrate its 113th Birthday. Don’t miss it.
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Cinderella runs until January 12th 2020. Tickets, priced from £19 are available from newtheatrecardiff.co.uk or on 029 2087 8889.