Review: Cinderella is having a ball at the Alban Arena

And the extremely good news for St Albans theatre-goers is that Bob Goulding and Ian Kirkby are reunited for this year’s show, so you just know the dastardly sisters Aldianna and Lidleena are going to be the most outrageously dressed and revolting man-eaters you’ll ever likely see!

Of course, the duo are deluded that the male audience members are "checking them out” as they wear all sorts of ridiculous outfits – ranging from a McDonalds theme to Union Jack dresses.

The pair have worked together for years and have great chemistry. But this panto wasn’t all about them. The other main characters were all extremely likeable from the off.

Bessy Ewa’s opening number as Cinderella performed with the villagers was a good way to launch the fun, while the moment Buttons (Oliver Scott) entered with a massive cheesy grin you could tell he was going to nail it. And I particularly liked the energy of Damian Patton’s Dandini who spent most of the show escaping the clutches of the Ugly Sisters.

Fairy godmother Samantha Womack glues the story together with her rhyming couplets, but in a neat twist she performs them to popular dances like the waltz or cha-cha. She repeatly asks the audience for suggested dance ideas but seems somewhat reluctant to bow to the kids’ screams for “the Griddy”!

Top of the pops on the singing front was George Shelley’s Prince Charming, particularly his rendition of Feeling Good in Act 1. I guess that wasn't a surprise as he’s a former member of boyband Union J.

The two regular setpieces you can almost guarantee at an Arena panto are the ghost bench with its predictable but much-anticipated fun conclusion, as well as the wheelbarrow of puns. The latter was done to a Disney theme this year with such gems as the prince not being in a relationship because he was “afraid to Kermit”.

Some of the jokes are internationally awful and some have been recycled more times than ones you’ll find in your Christmas crackers this year. One or two I felt didn’t quite hit the mark – but most, although extremely obvious, did raise a chuckle.

The show was also notable for some neat deviations from the regular Cinderella plot to keep the audience on its toes. Two examples were a spirited Cinders actually fighting back by telling her step-sisters early on she refused to be bullied by them, and then there was the love triangle between Buttons, the Prince and our heroine which had a surprising conclusion.

It’s a great family show so there was something for all ages. The children were all screaming out at the right moments, while older audience members got a little treat of two thrown in from time to time, such as Dandini and Buttons performing Boom! Shake the Room – which took me by clubbing days in the 90s!

Two of the best scenes came in Act 2. First we had the Prince’s ball which presented the chance for some Strictly Come Dancing-style fun with your hosts Twice Daily and Claudia Wrinkled Man (with her hilarious fringe issues).

Following that, the trying on the slipper routine saw Aldianna cheating to make it appear to fit her, and Lidleena having to take off a very big winter stocking. The slipper even found its way off the stage for an audience member to give it a go too!

Cinderella runs until Sunday, January 12, 2025 so there’s no excuse not to make time to go to the ball. Ticket details here.