Cinderella at the Princess Theatre Torquay Review
Cinderella
Princess Theatre, Torquay
9 December to 1 January 2017
Reviewed by Helen Wyatt
Yesterday I had the pleasure of reviewing Cinderella at Torquay’s Princess Theatre, situated right on the seafront in this beautiful seaside town. There is no parking dedicated to the theatre however you will find ample local parking on street, or in car parks within walking distance of the theatre.
The theatre is bright and white, boasting great views across the sea. It is welcoming and friendly, with staff chatty and helpful should you need any assistance. The foyer is fairly intimate due to its size, but there are plenty of areas to wait until the show starts, not least the café inside the theatre, called Breezes. Be warned though, we arrived at 5.40pm and were told there was a 40 minute wait for food at that point when the show started at 6pm, so potentially not the best place to eat before a show. There are however plenty of other eateries around to choose from, although they do recommend in many places booking on a show night. The programme advises that the theatre has brought back a hot chocolate and milkshake bar which sounds wonderful but sadly we missed out on this!
The theatre is clean and tidy; the only downside seems to be the number of toilets as there are seemingly always huge queues for the ladies!
I took my 2 girls aged 7 & 9 to see the Cinderella pantomime, put on by New Pantomime Productions Ltd; a panto is a pre-requisite at Christmas! The cast boasted 4 fairly well-known names: Anita Harris as the Baroness (from the Carry On films), Tom Owen as The Baron (Last of the Summer Wine), Luke Friend as Prince Charming (X Factor) and Sam Callahan as Dandini (X Factor). We were treated to Anita’s amazing soaring vocals, in places reminiscent of Shirley Bassey, and Luke and Sam serenaded the audience with some great pop songs. Tom isn’t so well known for his singing voice as such but he did a sterling job!
Kaya Rose, Cinderella, gave a mesmerising performance with a memorable singing voice; some beautiful duets with other cast members topped it off.
There were fantastic performances all round, and special mention should be given to Aiden J Harvey playing buttons with his magnificent comic timing and ability to get the audience going (aside from some slightly fluffed lines at the beginning!), and Wezley Sebastian and Paul Lawrence Thomas as the ugly sisters; these 2 were a marvellous comic double act who wore their outfits with pride! In addition I cannot write this without mentioning the Fairy Godmother Charlotte Dacia; her voice was very unique and perfect for the role! She certainly added sparkle and beauty to the role.
My girls and I enjoyed the panto immensely; our absolutely stand out favourite part though was Buttons, the Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming and Dandini performing a rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas, complete with props; the audience was in complete fits, and there were loo rolls flying everywhere! A very funny comic interlude.
A close second was the “gorilla in the woods” scene, where The Baron, The Baroness, Dandini, Buttons and the Ugly Sisters get the audience almost out of their seats, trying to tell them where the gorilla is (IT’S BEHIND YOU!!), which was a great segment.
There were some jokes that were perhaps a bit too risky for kids’ ears, and some that even went over the heads of the adults, but all in all this was a fantastic performance which left you wanting more.
I would highly recommend this to anyone hoping for a traditional panto this Christmas as you won’t be disappointed.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £24.90 to £28.40 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Cinderella is at the Princess Theatre in Torquay until 1 January 2017. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3023.
Princess Theatre, Torbay Road, Torquay, TQ2 5EZ | 0844 871 3023
