On Thursday night we were invited to the annual Christmas Panto, Cinderella, at St. Helens Theatre Royal and it was every bit as spectacular as we hoped it would be. It is laugh out loud funny, with the actors giggling just as much as the audience making it is impossible not to join in.
The whole cast is fabulous from the teeny tiny dancers that pull at your heart strings to the seasoned actors that know how to blow you away. They include, the lovely Kimberly Hart-Simpson who you may recognise from Coronation Street, playing Cinderella, and Joe Sleight, who plays Prince Charming, together they make a wonderful couple.
Of course, no production of Cinderella would be complete without the ugly sisters and St. Helens have made fantastic choices with Kristopher Bosch and Richard Aucott, who definitely bring the laughs with their outrageous behaviour and witty one liners.
Alongside the usual characters there is also the addition of buttons, played by the very talented Lewis Devine, who you may recognised from Snow White where he played Muddles. Lewis plays the comedy role wonderfully and has everyone laughing from start to finish. He left our boys with a cheeky little catch phrase that I am sure they will be saying for weeks to come. He also brings a lot of innuendos so don’t be fooled into thinking this panto is just for children as it definitely isn’t.
When you watch a show at St. Helens you are always watching more than your average pantomime. They really do pull out all the stops and Cinderela is no different. The incredible show includes amazing performances from both Jamie Leahey & Chuck and Jon Courtenay from Britain’s got talent, a hilarious rendition of 12 days of Christmas, lots of singing, dancing, water guns (you better watch out) and, if all of that isn’t enough, they even have real Shetland Ponies on stage pulling Cinderella carriage! It really is the panto of the year.
Cinderella at St. Helens is a must see show that will have you laughing from start to finish. It is running until 8th January 2023 so if you haven’t already booked then do it now, you won’t be disappointed.
If you are looking for more inspiration for days out in the North West then check out our A-Z of days out post.
If you love a good theatre production then check out our reviews of the following shows: Annie at the Storyhouse in Chester, Zog for Children, Beauty and the Beast, and Pinocchio in Liverpool.
(We were invited to watch Cinderella in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own.)