Review - Embark on a magical journey with Corby’s ‘full family pantomime’, where the enchanting tale of Cinderella comes to life

The past weekend marked the opening day of Corby’s first ever ‘full family pantomime’ which sees the tale of Cinderella brought to life at The Core Theatre.

Cinderella is a classic fairy tale of a mistreated girl, magically transformed for a royal ball. With a fairy godmother, glass slippers and a midnight deadline, her timeless story unfolds in this faithful adaptation.

The story starts with a bang (literally) and we are introduced to the Fairy Godmother who excellently sets the scene.

The titular character, ‘Ella’, is doomed to drudgery by her wicked stepmother and spiteful stepsisters, and dreams of escape and romance.

Meanwhile the unlucky-in-love Prince Charming is on the lookout for a wife and his father, ‘King Colin of Corby’, is making plans for a royal ball.

Frustrated at his inability to speak with girls, the prince disguises himself as a commoner and shortly after has a chance encounter with Ella in the woods.

The pair instantly hit it off but unfortunate events see Ella run off, leaving the Prince longing to meet her again…perhaps at the ball that everyone has been invited to?

Their destiny appears to be with one another but in order to live happily ever after, they have a lot to overcome including wicked step-sisters and comedic mishaps.

The tale has clearly been adapted to feature many modern references that have audiences in stitches at times.

They also make many local references, taking digs at the likes of Kettering, Wellingborough and Oundle.

The talented cast are excellent at captivating the audience throughout the two-hour duration of the show, incorporating hilarious slapstick comedy into a dazzling love story with ease.

Ella is effortlessly likeable and this is all thanks to the performance of Lucy Munden, whose breathtaking voice also contributed in making her perfect for the role.

The same can be said for the Prince, portrayed by Lloyd Davies, who you can’t help but root for. The duet of Taylor Swift’s ‘You Belong With Me’ between the Prince and Ella in the woods was a standout highlight in the first act.

The two dames, ‘Fil’ and ‘Holly’ AKA the Ugly Stepsisters, are portrayed by Dan Smith and Zac Hanlon respectively. The pair bear the weight of responsibility for most of the show’s comedy and thankfully they absolutely deliver.

Early in the show they did have members of the audience utterly terrified when they wheeled out their ‘man cam’ and started filming unsuspecting patrons in the first few rows. This was of course all in good fun and poor Aaron, who was chosen to be at the brunt of the jokes, was a good sport.

The two had great chemistry with one another and also with Buttons, portrayed by Gregor Duncan who they share many a scene with.

Buttons, like the stepsisters, has a brilliant connection with the audience and his upbeat jovial attitude even in the face of unrequited love makes him an audience favourite.

In this rendition of Cinderella, the character of Dandini, portrayed by Inés Sampaio, is a girl who pretends to be a boy in order to get a job working with the prince.

She shares fantastic on-stage chemistry with Lloyd Davies’ Prince Charming as well as with the audience for whom she had in fits of laughter with her beatboxing.

The Fairy Godmother, portrayed by Emma Ralston, is a calming presence and acts as the narrator at times throughout the show. She is the first character we see and hear and this is very fortunate because she has an incredible singing voice.

The perhaps most evil character in the show, Helen Bacqueagaine AKA the Wicked Stepmother AKA The Baroness, is portrayed by Marisa Harris, who does an amazing job of making you hate her and her moments of frustration with her unwitting daughters are a comedic highlight.

The show comes together on a beautiful set. One of the most wonderful moments sees Ella's gorgeous carriage come together in a very clever way before taking off for the ball.

There are also some truly stunning costumes and some very funny costumes, many of which are seen on The Ugly Stepsisters.

The show is also brought to life with an array of young performers who were all excellent.

Everything came together to make the show fun for all involved. Everyone who has been a part of the team behind this pantomime should be very proud of what they have achieved.

If you’d like to book tickets to see Cinderella at The Core, visit their website. It runs until December 31.