CINDERELLA

What a delightful and comfortable little theatre this is,, I was made to feel very welcome by the members of the company.

I haven’t been to see a pantomime since late 2024 so I was looking forward to being entertained.  TADS did not disappoint.  The show started with a strong opening and continued on a high from then on. 

Each member of the cast performed very well, with sincerity and dedication to the panto genre.

Cinderella, performed well by Charlotte Taylor, was perfect for the part and her vocals and dialogue were clear.  Chloe White (Fairy Godmother) was excellent, I liked her characterisation and the audience quickly warmed to her.  She introduced Angel Bayliss as her Fairy Apprentice and here was a confident and talented young lady who is clearly destined for success.

As the show progressed, we were introduced to all the familiar characters from this well-known and well-loved story.  Buttons, played well by Nathaniel Chatterley; Lady Skint (Jane Murdoch) and then the stepsisters Sabrina (Darren Adams) and Taylor (Richard Chatterley). Two obviously seasoned panto performers who had the audience in stitches from the start.   The Principal lineup was completed by Rory White as Prince Charming and Barry Hyde as Dandini.

In fact, I later described this production as a truly typical Family Panto and every member of the cast was totally invested in bringing it to life. I must mention the four young ladies who made up the ensemble.  They auditioned from TADS youth group to take part in the show and fully justified their selection.  It was lovely that they were given the opportunity to sing solos.

The scenery was excellent, in particular the forest scene and talented local artist Andrew Naish did the production justice with his artwork.  The costumes were also excellent and fresh, a credit to John Horley, Bryony Reynolds and Harlequin Costumes. The transformation scene worked very well and was justifiably applauded by the audience.  I particularly enjoyed the Allsorts sweetie scene, especially those costumes, and the traditional ‘If I Were Not Upon The Stage’ was the funniest version I have seen for a long time.

Authors Darren and Harry managed to get more gags into the script than practically any other panto I have ever seen, and they have a very good handle on what is needed to make a family panto a success.  The audience and I loved the whole show, and I travelled home revelling on the joyful afternoon I spent with TADS.   Oh, and I was picking fake snow out of my hair all the way home!

Thank you for a wonderful start to the Christmas festivities.

 

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