CINDERELLA

Tyne Theatre and Opera House

★★★★

“transport yourself to a land of merry magic, music, and magnificent comedy”

Cinderella at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House is the perfect addition to any festive family plans. Directed excellently by Glen Murphy, this hilarious panto brings a sparkle of magic to Newcastle this December.

Ready to go with a gorgeous set and all its classic panto gags; Cinderella just about hits all the beats. Not a moment is wasted to get a chuckle, boo, or “he’s behind you” from the audience, and the flow of the show is quick-paced and engaging. Buttons, played by Charlie Richmond, punctuates every scene he is in with fabulously hilarious one-liners and ad-libs, and keeps the pace of the show chugging on. Moreover, Guy Pascall, Charlie Richmond, and Tom Whalley’s writing is laugh-a-second and knows how to get even the grumpiest of parents to respond with “oh no he didn’t”.

The script does have a reliance on reinforcing quite a traditional fairy-tale message. Although Cinderella makes a point of celebrating meeting someone that values her in her prince, it would also have been positive to have more emphasis on Cinderella’s escape from her toxic sisters, and independence from that environment, rather than her dreams entirely revolving round finding a man to marry. The unnecessary addition of a romantic plot with Buttons does also give some food for thought. I can’t help but wonder how much more enjoyable a purely platonic relationship between Cinderella and Buttons from the get-go might be.

Expectedly straying occasionally from the well-known fairy-tale, the show allows lesser-known characters such as the prince’s footmen (played brilliantly by dance duo Twist and Pulse) to the forefront to really shine. They are truly standout across the show, mesmerising the audience with tirelessly funny and astonishing dancing. Jamie Corner as Prince Canny and Robbie Dee as Baron Hardup round off the cast well. Dee’s slapstick comedy is stupendous, and Corner keeps up the pace with the demanding choreography he performs alongside with Twist and Pulse.

Kerry Blaskett-Wetherall’s choreography is spellbinding and uplifts the talented dancing ability of the ensemble. Overall, the dancing strength of the cast out-shines the vocal punch of the show. However, there are some standout singers. the show’s tremendous leading lady, Scarlett Robinson, impressively displays both her acting and singing talent as Cinderella, creating a truly memorable experience that will leave both kids and adults speechless. The live band also add to the seamless magic of the production, lifting every scene with live sound effects, fourth wall breaks, and moving swiftly between the variety of catchy pop song medleys. Most song choices feel current and give nods to music enjoyed by kids and their parents, including the likes of Backstreet Boys and ABBA, but also KPop Demon Hunters and Wicked. Admittedly, some music feels a tad dated, and the constant medleys do feel somewhat excessive at times. I couldn’t help but feel cheated of hearing longer versions of some song-choices, especially when Robinson sings them so beautifully.

The Ugly Stepsisters, played by Lewis Denny and Micky Cochrane, are everything audiences want panto dames to be. Their scenes are overflowing with quick-wit innuendo and enormous energy, interacting with the audience with close-to-the-bone one-liners. Their matching over-the-top costuming, by David Gibson and Alice Frith, is worth buying a ticket for alone. Equally, Maureen Nolan’s Fairy Godmother adds a lot to her magical performance. Nolan’s highlights include her rendition of her hit ‘I’m In the Mood for Dancing’, where fans of the song and Nolan can enjoy its up-beat fun; perfectly befitting a Prince’s ball! Nolan’s lines and delivery feel a little cheesy as she appears across the show- but isn’t that made for pantomime?

Ideal for the whole family; this is not a show to miss! Head down to Cinderella at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House to transport yourself to a land of merry magic, music, and magnificent comedy.

CINDERELLA

Tyne Theatre and Opera House

Reviewed on 13th December 2025

by Molly Knox

Photography by Limelight Studios

Cinderella

★★★★

“a welcomingly confrontational and awkward evening of stand-up with a bit of something for everyone”

On the biggest night of her new tour, Maisie Adam presents a raucous night of heckling the audience right back, and journeying through the humour in everything, from coil “re-fittings”, awful gameshow appearances, and the class politics of wild water swimming in Brighton.

A rising TV favourite, Adam is a talented comedian who is hell-bent on providing both an “accurate” and “detailed” set (if she has learnt anything from mishearing previous hook-ups or gigging in Sweden). Appraisal takes the audience through a review of Adam’s current life, career, and relationship statuses, with punchlines that keep the crowd on side from start to finish. We are treated to a review of Adam’s state of being in comedy – with a closing segment dissecting the age-old question of what it’s like to be a woman in comedy. Adam’s reckons it’s much like being any other woman, performing odd rituals and actions to keep safe on a walk home, and syncing periods with the closest women around you (in this case, Adam’s front row at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House). Although this section of the set feels a bit out of nowhere, it did well to keep the laughs rolling through the audience.

The first act features Adam’s skilful crowd work, warming everyone up to what is essentially a slagging off with an audience. Be warned not to sit in the box at any future tour dates at beautiful proscenium-arched venues, you may be unwillingly entered into a “who is posher” contest, and it will, in fact, be hilarious for everyone involved, but you. It is a true joy to watch Adam’s improvised crowd-work in action, as she turns vague responses into weapons against punters before they can whoop overenthusiastically for the name of the city they travelled to Newcastle from. Adam’s is brilliant at rolling with the oddities of her audience and playing to the strangeness of their behaviour and responses. A particular shoutout must go to the gentleman in the front-row who very obviously legged it at the first brief mention that there might be an interval coming up. Adam’s dealt with him with a hilarious level of disbelief and we relished in the “fair enough” attitude the brilliantly timed awkward moment produced.

After the interval, Adam’s gives herself some feedback (good and bad) on how her life is going, along with astute and hilarious observations on the absurdity of being in your late twenties/early thirties and being surrounded by your oddly grown-up school friends who are still kids at heart, along with your parents who desperately need a quick word on their peculiar use of emojis. We are also treated to a very funny whistle stop tour of Adam’s treacherous gameshow features and cameos, from being a contestant on The Chase, to claiming an embarrassing level of obscurity on Pointless, as an answer.

For the most part, Adam’s lands blow after blow of hilarious self-deprecating jokes, and creates an atmosphere that will have everyone grinning from ear to ear (whether you are a middle-aged dad with a flip-phone case or one of Adam’s many younger lesbian fans). Maisie Adam’s: Appraisal is a welcomingly confrontational and awkward evening of stand-up with a bit of something for everyone. This show deserves all the praise it gets.

Tag Archives: Tyne Theatre and Opera House

CINDERELLA

★★★★

Tyne Theatre and Opera House

CINDERELLA

Tyne Theatre and Opera House

★★★★

“transport yourself to a land of merry magic, music, and magnificent comedy”