This years seasonal offering from the Nottingham Playhouse is Cinderella by Kenneth Alan Taylor. It kicked off last weekend and runs until 20th January. The atmosphere before the show started was electric, I haven’t been to a panto for many years so I have to admit I was quite excited and this wasn’t a let down.
It had everything you want from a panto, great comedy dames who bounced off each other very well indeed (John Elkington – an audience favourite – and Darren Southworth), timely and regional gags, beautiful elements of ballet and some fantastic songs. The set itself was stunning and seamlessly versatile, the costumes were done beautifully, there were even some special effects!
A special mention for James Nicholson who was cast as Prince Charming, despite this being his professional debut, for me he was the star of the show. He had a suitably charming voice that took me by surprise when belting out the queen classic, Somebody to Love.
The audience loved it, young and old, participating when traditionally obliged to and often when not, which was delightfully amusing. The only thing that spoiled this for me was the people sat directly in front, they seemed to have not got the memo that it was a family show and panto’s are primarily for kids, they were proper snooty grown ups that kept glaring every time a youngster piped up or expressed enjoyment by clapping, wish someone had turned them into a pumpkin…
Tickets available from www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Review by Josie Opal
