Cinderella

Imagine Theatre Limited

Venue Cymru, Llandudno,

December 12 2025 - Jan 3, 2026; 2 hr

A few star names, a familiar story and routines with a lot of audience participation: this is very much a traditional Cinderella, with a cast given to boundless enthusiasm.

Of course the story needs no introduction - and in this production it isn't swallowed up in a side show of comic routines. The show gets the balance right, in a satisfying mix of entertaining comic tableaux within a clear story.

John Evans as Buttons is a seasoned Llandudno performer, delivering a mix of stand-up routines, slapstick and ad hoc one-liners and he's excellent, playing well against the fairy godmother-pantomime dame, Simon Nehan. "Han and Fran" - Hannah Roberts and Fran Cottington, who came to prominence in Britain's Got Talent - are great as the Ugly Sisters, suitably vain and bitchy to all around them. Corinne Cherish plays a very straight and charming Cinderella, her stand-out moment coming in the transformation from Cinders to Princess Crystal, involving an elaborate mechanical horse and carriage that lifts her into the air to mark the end of Act 1. The show makes use of the dancing talents of AJ and Curtis Pritchard and incorporates several quite technical dance routines backed by a talented junior ensemble.

The comic routines improve as the show progresses and tend to dominate the second act, with a mix of prepared gags and impromptu one-liners, to the point where cast members dissolve into laughter - along with the audience - as laughs come at the expense of other cast members. At times the show is positively manic - such as the adulterated 12 Days of Christmas routine which becomes an excuse to pelt Dandini with custard pies. The audience warmed to the cast when this happened.

There are plenty of pantos locally that try to freshen up old standards to bring them up to date - and there are those who prefer that kind of show. This isn't one of them: so the question is whether the result is enjoyable and funny - and given the chemistry with the audience and the warm reception at the end, this panto more than lives up to its promise.

More info and tickets here