Cinderella Pantomime At The Capitol, Horsham, Review

Reviewed by Amanda Hayes

You literally couldn’t move for excited children as we arrived for the 7.00pm performance of the pantomime, Cinderella, at The Capitol, Horsham. Although there isn’t any specific parking for the theatre there are plenty of car parks within a 5 minute walk and one right opposite which can be used evenings and weekends. It was easy to park, and it is free after 8pm, so after paying a reasonable charge for the remaining 90 minutes, we joined the queue to enter the building via the revolving door with families coming from all over Sussex to see the show.

Everyone loves a pantomime, and it was fabulous to see so many happy faces, and an almost entirely full theatre, even though the show was at the exact same time as England were playing France in the World Cup. This performance of Cinderella is directed by Julie Atherton, well known for leading roles in Mamma Mia! And Avenue Q, so we were expecting great things.

It has been over two years since I have been to The Capitol, and I was very pleasantly surprised how soft and comfortable the seats were, more like a cinema than a theatre. It’s quite a small auditorium, so it has an intimate feeling with a fabulous view from every seat. The Capitol is a great theatre to see any show, snacks and drinks are reasonably priced and the bar was well staffed, so the typical interval queues were dealt with very quickly. Should you have more time there is also a small café area. Both areas have plenty of comfy seating.

The performance follows the traditional story of Cinderella finding her Prince Charming with a few modern twists. The fabulous background sets bring the story alive as the cast sing and dance their way through the arrival of the Baroness Hardup, the evil stepmother (Alison Arnopp), the ugly sisters, Florence & Cortina, and Fairy Godmother (Emma Lindars). Florence & Cortina, played by Antony Reed & Dan Smith, bring hilarious slapstick comedy routines and amazing outfits to every scene. Cinderella is played by Siobhan Athwal who has a long list of TV and Theatre credits including playing The Genie in The Capitol’s performance of Aladdin. Her voice is superb, certainly a cut above most Cinderella’s we have heard, and complements Prince Charming (Jonathon Carlton) very well. As per the tradition the prince, and his aide, Dandini (James Camp) swop roles so the prince can find a wife without them knowing who he is, culminating in several very funny routines between Dandini, acting as the prince, and the ugly sisters. Cinderella’s best friend Buttons (Niall Sheehy) compares the show to great effect with plenty of audience participation, just remember your dancing shoes, you may end up on stage!

We left the auditorium saying that the performance of Cinderella was way more than an ordinary panto, yes it had the traditional story and characters backed with humour, but it also had fantastic singers and music with cast performances of a standard more like a larger theatre production. The amazing live band also has to have a mention with them being on stage the whole time, although sometimes hidden behind the scenery and not always on show.
We spent a great couple of hours watching the show and like every other person in there we came out with great big smiles on our faces. Brilliantly uplifting and super fun, with lots of one liners and current newsworthy gags, I highly recommend Cinderella. Get your tickets soon as the show is selling out fast.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tickets cost from £25.00.

Cinderella is at The Capitol Theatre, Horsham from 8th December to the 31st December, for more information or to book tickets visit https://www.thecapitolhorsham.com/whats-on/all-shows/cinderella/19103 or call the box office on 01403 750220.