If there is one pantomime title to open a newly refurbished venue with, it must be Cinderella, the classic tale of true love transcending class and background and a magical journey from the Hard Up Hall kitchen to the Prince’s Ballroom. So when Fareham Live reopened in October, it was announced that Imagine’s first Christmas production would be Cinderella, with brothers AJ and Curtis Pritchard as Prince Charming and Dandini. Coincidentally, it is the same title that closed the venue as Ferneham Hall in January 2020 before the complete rebuilding of the venue started. Judging by the wonderful reaction from the families at the Gala opening of the show, the local community are really pleased to have the fabulous new-look venue open again.

The Pritchard Brothers make a natural double act with AJ leading the dance moves as the Prince, pirouetting across the stage, and Curtis throwing himself into the panto business, getting pelted with a succession of foam pies in the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ routine. It is, however, a curious plot fault that neither Buttons nor the Ugly Sisters seem to recognise him as either the Prince or Dandini as the custard pies land on his face!

Paul Burling as the loveable Buttons provides most of the comedy with his excellent voice impressions including Michael McIntyre, Alan Carr, David Attenborough and Joe Pasquale, and wonderful audience engagement. He leads the panto business with a chocolate bar pun run, the ghost sketch as well as slipping and sliding through ‘12 Days’. He handles the song sheet with two kids around ‘Old MacDonald’s Farm’ well, although was thrown by the choice of animals of a tortoise and a giraffe, which added to the fun.

Of course, the villains of the story are the Ugly Sisters and in Gareth Mitchell and Garnon Davies as Euphemia and Lavinia, the show has two of the best young Sisters in the business. They make an impactful entrance through the auditorium dressed in miniskirts and leather jackets, establishing their relationship with a good stage presence and quickly become, as they should be, the characters we love to hate.

The musical elements of the show are led by a very good Fairy, played by Eleanor Wainwright, and of course, the heroine Cinderella, Rhiannon Bacchus, from the opening number ‘Dance With You’, through a simple transformation scene with pretty projections onto Cinders ball gown, to the Ballroom itself and the celebratory finale. The ensemble and junior ensemble are very well integrated into the show throughout especially in the attractive movement to cover the scene changes.

This is a very polished and well-presented Cinderella, which stays true to all the traditional standard elements including Dandini/Prince role swap, the nine-carrot necklace, the flying crystal coach and the Sisters’ glass slipper trying on routine. The result is that, for many of Fareham’s young residents seeing their first local pantomime, this is a perfect introduction to the genre and will hopefully have them hooked for years to come.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Nick Wayne

Cinderella plays at Fareham Live until 5 January 2025, with further info here.