Pantomime, or Panto as it is colloquially known, is a great British tradition for the festive Christmas season, with many delightful productions of Snow White, Dick Whittington, Peter Pan, and Aladdin to name but a few. I went to see Cinderella with a group of 40 people (former colleagues, friends, acquaintances and family) last Tuesday night at the New Wimbledon Theatre. It was a fantastic production, good entertainment value, and our annual Christmas treat!! My friend Fatimah, as a member of the theatre, managed to get us the tickets, and we had 4 rows so that we could sit together during the show. The foyer showcased a beautiful pumpkin carriage/coach and there was also a beautiful princess setting the mood for the show, as most of the little girls were dressed as delightful princesses, but there weren’t many young princes about! Buttons (Tim Vine) came out first to get all of us into the mood with cheering and clapping, ensuring that both the kids and the adults too would have a great time. Linda Gray (Dallas) was the fairy godmother and the story had Dallas-like jokes running throughout. The two ugly stepsisters were played by Mathew Kelly and Mathew Rixon who were dressed in the most outrageous outfits (something for Fashion Week AW2015?)
Just before the break, when the fairy godmother was getting Cinderella ready for the ball, Cinderella was singing ‘Let it go’ and just whipped off her rags and was instantly transformed into a shimmering, gorgeous ball gown! Most of us were absolutely stunned but before we could recover, in came 2 white miniature ponies with the most beautiful carriage to whisk her off to the ball at the end of the song.
The second half was just as spectacular. During the break the audience was given 3D glasses and we wondered what was coming next. Of course the ball was stunning as were the stepsisters’ outfits. Cinderella met the Prince but had to leave before midnight, losing her shoe as she ran out in an effort not to be late. The following scene was the stepsisters wandering through the spooky forest on their way home and a 3D screen appeared depicting creepy woodlands. Using our glasses, we joined in the ghostbuster movie sing-along which was absolutely out of this world ....literally as it had ghosts and spiders floating about in it! We had a few screams when one came right out and blew a raspberry at us before blowing itself up!
Of course, in the end, Prince Charming managed to get the right sister to fit the glass slipper, despite it being broken by one of the evil stepsisters! All was well and everyone had fun that night, irrespective of age! It was one of the best panto productions I have seen and I am already looking forward to next year. So join in the fun and hope to see you there!
Written by Irene Kuan
The second half was just as spectacular. During the break the audience was given 3D glasses and we wondered what was coming next. Of course the ball was stunning as were the stepsisters’ outfits. Cinderella met the Prince but had to leave before midnight, losing her shoe as she ran out in an effort not to be late. The following scene was the stepsisters wandering through the spooky forest on their way home and a 3D screen appeared depicting creepy woodlands. Using our glasses, we joined in the ghostbuster movie sing-along which was absolutely out of this world ....literally as it had ghosts and spiders floating about in it! We had a few screams when one came right out and blew a raspberry at us before blowing itself up!Of course, in the end, Prince Charming managed to get the right sister to fit the glass slipper, despite it being broken by one of the evil stepsisters! All was well and everyone had fun that night, irrespective of age! It was one of the best panto productions I have seen and I am already looking forward to next year. So join in the fun and hope to see you there!
Written by Irene Kuan
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