There is one title that says Christmas Pantomime and that is of course Cinderella. While some producers are tempted to update the story, resetting it in new locations, Jon Monie’s script that played the Theatre Royal Bath last year tells the story in the traditional way with new stepsisters arriving at Hard Up Hall, Buttons in love with Cinders, a chance meeting with the Prince during a fox hunt and then the dramatic ticket tearing scene to stop her going to the Ball. All the key story beats are there and with an experienced cast, the result is a good retelling of the classic story at The Anvil in Basingstoke.
The Fairy Godmother is played by the lovely Debbie McGee, and she easily engages the audience with her delightfully delivered rhyming couplets with a broad smile and a sparkle in her eyes. She even goes back to her ballet and dance roots for a lively dance routine in Act2 in sharp contrast with the little old lady who Cinderella meets in the woods in Act 1! She had a natural charm and infectious giggle which anyone would want from a Fairy Godmother.
