Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare

Fri 2 Dec

words: BECKY PARKER

Before Cinderella began, director Rich Tunley promised “magic and sparkle”, and that was certainly delivered in bucket loads throughout. Although the performance was not entirely polished, it had enough camp comedy and glittery costumes to distract the audience from any minor imperfections.

Stars of the show includ Buttons, played by CBeebies presenter Alex Winters, who was vibrant, energetic and had the children in the audience interacting like no other character on stage. Also worth a mention were the ugly sisters, played by Welsh playwright Frank Vickery and TV regular Simon Nehan, who both delivered enough outrageous comedy and innuendo to keep the adults entertained. Needless to say, their rendition of Swagger Jagger is much better than the original.

The tongue-in-cheek punch lines from the ugly sisters, combined with the smooth voices of Cinderella and Prince Charming kept the adults and the children entertained alike, and although it is unlikely that anyone will be winning an Oscar for their acting skills, as pantomimes go it was definitely entertaining and it seemed that the kids in the audience were thrilled throughout.

For originality, like most pantomimes, this performance doesn’t rate too highly, but it pleased the young families who attended and it will undoubtedly please more. The camp-tastic show deserves to be given credit for delivering a show tailored to its audiences, and the crowd took delight in the jokes aimed at the locals. For what it’s worth, this show is great value for money and will have adults and children in stitches this Christmas. The performance runs in all Rhondda Cynon Taf theatres across various dates until Mon 31 Dec. Tickets cost £14 (£10 concessions). Info: 08000 147111 / www.rct-arts.co.uk