Cinderella The Pantomime Pleasure Beach Resort

If you are looking for a spectacular but highly traditional pantomime that dispenses pure fairytale magic, then Cinderella in The Dome Theatre at the Pleasure Beach Resort is for you.

Once again, Stageworks Worldwide Productions has created what must surely be one of the most spectacular pantomimes around. It’s a production that is guaranteed to leave the audience, whatever their age, in wonder and awe.

The costumes alone will take your breath away. They are glitzy, glamorous and typical of any Stageworks production and are embellished with rhinestones, sequins, feathers and golden braid. The costumes, and there must be hundreds of them for the ensemble alone, are a pantomime design triumph.

You’ll also be blown away by the set with its golden staircase that reaches up to the roof of The Dome Theatre, video projection, specialist lighting, aerialists and the skilful way that action is incorporated in the box sets at the side of the open stage, keeping the audience focussed and the action moving.

The story of Cinderella, as we know it, goes back to the 17th century. Heavily embroiled in folklore, it’s a magical tale that is a firm pantomime favourite.

Directors Adam Slavin and Alexa Robinson’s production is seamless, fast-moving and full of turbo-charged energy.

Getting Buttons (Dave Cross) to warm up the audience before the story unfolds is a brilliant move. Full of energy and witty repartee, Cross brilliantly engages his audience, getting them to take part in some great audience participation, including a Mexican wave.

The actual story itself begins with the voice of a storyteller, who sets the scene for the action that is about to unfurl – a great touch that catapults everyone into ‘panto and fairytale mode’.

But you can put all thoughts of the traditional pantomime ‘village’ opening out of your head with this Cinderella, for what you are about to experience will certainly instantly engage you with this production.

We hear pulsating music, and lamps come on stage carried by dancers clad in white robes, and the magic begins to weave its spell.

All manner of things start to happen – including Buttons telling jokes and stories from a trapeze swing that mysteriously gets higher and higher and eventually comes out into the auditoriums, much to the delight of his audience.

Adam Slavin’s script stays true to the original story and incorporates all the usual pantomime favourites, including The Ghost Gag, with one exception: the Fairy Godmother is now a spirit called Abriel, played by Ian Oswald.

Oswald’s likeable characterisation fits well into the story and puts a new spin on it – even panto traditionalists like myself find this move a particularly refreshing one – Liverpudlian accent and all! Oswald is just great and at times steals the show.

Sarah Ward’s Cinderella is childlike, innocent and has a wonderful charisma that will certainly be a hit with the younger audience members. Ward and her Prince Charming (Ashley Luke Lloyd) are the stuff fairy tale characters are made of. They are glamorous and blend together beautifully in the duets, but above all, they are totally convincing in their roles.

There’s a standout performance from Kelsey. Beth Crossley as Drusilla, the wicked stepmother. She’s the glamorous villain you love to hate and delivers some wonderful sophisticated dialogue with some knowing looks that say it all. You could almost be watching a pantomime version of Joan Collins’s Alexis Carrington.

As Scarlet and Celeste, James Colebrook and Chris O’Mara are bold, brash and grotesque – in fact, all that’s needed to make the perfect ugly sisters, although I would like to have seen more of them in the pantomime.

Stageworks pantomime at the Dome always triumphs dancewise with Lynsey Brown’s brilliant choreography. A tour de force in choreography this year, she has created a pièce de résistance incorporating so many different dance styles throughout the pantomime, each expertly stylised and choreographed.

Performed by an exceptionally talented team of 12 dancers whose performances border on dance brilliance and will leave you breathless just watching them.

Completing the cast are Tyler Thompson (Baron Hardup), Luke Moore (Bailey – the Prince’s Servant) and aerialist Alexei Kofanov (Alexi).

Cinderella is set to become one of the best pantomimes of the season and achieves pantomime perfection in every way. It's well worth making the journey to Blackpool to see this production.



Cinderella runs until 24th December with performances every day. Check the website for details of relaxed and BSL performance.
To book tickets: 0871 222 9090
Website: pleasurebeachresort.com/panto.
To read more about Ian Oswald who plays Abriel click on this link Behind-The-Kitchen-Door-Ian-Oswals