REVIEW | Cinderella, Belgrade Theatre

Holly Topping as 'Cinderella'. 

If there’s one thing that truly marks the countdown to Christmas, it’s pantomime. It’s hands down one of my favourite ways to spend the festive period and there are so many to see, that it can be difficult to figure out which is the best pantomime to go and see in the UK. I don’t call myself any kind of expert but one production which year after year provides everything you’d want from a traditional pantomime, is Belgrade Theatre. Now 6 years after I last saw Cinderella in this theatre, it’s back with even more chaos, joy and sparkle!

Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre have the skill and solid understanding when it comes to ensuring audiences of all ages can access their pantomime at whatever level they wish to. Cinderella, written by Iain Lauchlan (who also plays the Step Sister Flatula), is again no exception, jam-packed with an extraordinary amount of audience participation, great dance routines, laugh-out-loud moments and wrapped up with a great singalong. 

Andy Hockley joins Lauclan as Step Sister Aroma, collectively they are hilarious and a force to be reckoned with from the get-go. One of their highlights is when they’re picking out their boyfriends from the audience. However, it’s their costumes from Costume Designer James Maciver that hugely elevate their performance. They are a continuous moment of hilarity as the audiences await whatever they’re about to wear next.

Of course, a Belgrade Theatre pantomime isn’t without Craig  Hollingsworth (oh no it’s not) and he’s back again - this time as Buttons! As always he’s brilliant, providing a great mixture of magic and laughter to his role this year. His rendition of a song from a very popular movie this summer hits the spot. Emma Mulkern takes on two roles as Fairy Godmother/ Wicked Stepmother and has a great stage presence in either role. Letitia Hector has an astounding voice on her in her role as the Prince and Loren Sunni as Dandini is another enjoyable performance to watch in this pantomime. 

In this production, Holly Topping (Cinderella), Cameron Gabriel, Lydia Bell and Megan Cook (in the Ensemble) make their professional debuts. They are absolutely brilliant performers to witness and couldn’t have found a better production to land themselves with. We can expect great things from this collective in the future I’m sure! 

We must lastly talk about the Ensemble - a group of individuals made from local children who auditioned earlier this year as well as the 4 other older performers. Team Slippers (Jasmine Cooke, Millie Green, Amelie Bridges, Elle Mae Roberts, Niyah Bennett, Maya Kovongne, Isla Speedy, Esme Latchford) are a sparky bunch - each executing perfectly synced choreography and looking like they’re all having an absolute blast on the pantomime already!

So what we can safely say is that Belgrade Theatre has an incredible pantomime to offer this festive season. It’s got everything you need and more!

At Belgrade Theatre until 13 January 2024.