Cinderella: The Rock 'n' Roll Panto | Theatr Clwyd

It's time to polish off your glass slippers and grab the air guitars as audiences are invited to the hottest ball in town with this year's rock 'n' roll panto Cinderella. Packed to the brim with punchy live music, an incredibly talented cast, a spectacle of production design and all the elements of a good pantomime, Christian Patterson as writer and Daniel Lloyd as director join forces once again to bring this unmissable festive tradition to life.

The show begins with Fairy G telling us the prologue through the medium of puppets and silhouettes, and it's here where we find out that instead of the Wicked Stepmother tormenting Cinderella, we have Ugly Stepsisters hilariously named Sam and Ella. This prologue is visually stunning and perfectly sets the scene for the pantomime magic to unfold. Throughout, there's sprinkles of magic from the witty script, stunning moments of production design and costumes, and excellent performances all across the board, and this reviewer can honestly say that this production by Theatr Clwyd is as good as it gets.

Cinderella: The Rock 'n' Roll Panto allows every cast member their time in the spotlight, it's a brilliant ensemble piece of theatre. Phylip Harries returns as Dame Hettie Hardup for his eighteenth year in pantomime, and brings his usual chaos to the show. Harries has an incredible way of working the crowd and even making the grinichiest of audience members join in with his on-stage antics. Harries is hilarious with wonderful ad-libs and his comedic timing is spot on, adult audience members can expect a rude gag or two that (thankfully) will fly straight over children's heads. Steve Simmonds also has his fair share of scene-stealing moments, and proves he is an incredibly talented performer by taking on the comedic role as opposed to the villian this year. Alice McKenna and Celia Cruwys-Finnigan fully take on their villain era with killer vocals and lap up the audience boos and hisses.

Robert Wade is animated and energetic as Buttons, and has a good onstage rapport with both Cinderella and Dame Hettie Hardup. Wade is absolutely endearing in the role and is a joy to watch on stage. Rhianna Goodwin makes her debut in Theatr Clwyd with an assured and headstrong take on Cinderella, which was really refreshing to see. Elliot Parchment-Morrison bounces off of the energy of his fellow cast members well and is fully invested in the chaos of pantomime. Joe Butcher and Chioma Uma are hilarious as the King and Queen with their constant quarrelling but obvious devotion to each other. Georgina White impresses as Fairy G with soulful vocals and an absolute commitment to her role.

The musicianship is one of the main highlights of this pantomime, with the actors jumping onto many different instruments to perform the songs live. Musical Director Tayo Akinbode has decided to stray away from the usual rock and roll songs and instead opts for a mixture of genres, hitting a wider target audience which is always delightful to see. Joe Butcher impresses with his drumming in Walk the Moon's Shut Up and Dance, whilst McKenna once again proves to be an incredible bassist. Simmonds gets his moment in the spotlight with an incredible rock guitar solo, it truly is impressive to watch how the cast effortlessly jumps between acting, singing, dancing and performing their instruments.

Adrian Gee's set and costume design is a visual spectacle, setting the tale in a snow globe winter grotto with glistening snow-laced trees and lit up standing lanterns. Costume design is sparkly and colourful, exactly what you'd expect for a pantomime. But what truly stands out is the way in which recycled materials have been used to create Cinderella's clothes. Cinderella also gets a stunning dress reveal which is achieved so effortlessly and really aids the panto magic. Johanna Town's lighting design perfectly compliments the set design to make the show a visual spectacle.

As usual, Theatr Clwyd provide audiences with a celebration of panto magic that allows you to revel in the warm spirit of Christmas. Cinderella: The Rock 'n' Roll panto boasts an incredible cast, an infectious soundtrack, a visually stunning production and all the elements of great pantomime fun.

Cinderella: The Rock 'n' Roll Panto plays at Theatr Clwyd until 17th January 2026.

Tickets and More Information

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Andrew AB