Cinderella

Family / Pantomime

Dates: Wed 14 December - Mon 2 January

Prices: £6 - £16.50

Venue: Theatre

A giant pumpkin, a broom, some white mice, an ugly sister or two, a charming Prince, a cheeky chappy named buttons, a magical fairy Godmother and a downtrodden young girl called Cinders can only mean one thing... the panto is coming to town!

This year The Riverfront and Hiss and Boo bring you the best loved of all pantomimes - Cinderella.

Will dear sweet Cinders be teased mercilessly by her two ugly sisters? Could she love dear Buttons? Will the Prince be charming?

What we do know is that the show will be full of laughter, memorable songs, fabulous costumes and with its very own snowstorm.

Starring a fabulous cast of professional actors including Melanie Walters (Gavin and Stacey), Keiron Self (My Family), Richard Elis (Eastenders), Nichola Lagan as Cinderella and seasoned Riverfront dame Lee Mengo.

Tickets: £6 - £16.50

CHRISTMAS CRACKER PERFROMANCES: £6, £9, £11 (no further reductions)

OFF-PEAK PERFORMANCES: £10, £13, £15 Reductions: £2 off Groups of 20+: £2.50 off Family Tickets: £42, £50

PEAK PERFORMANCES: £10.50, £14.50, £16.50 Reductions: £2 off Groups of 20+: £2.50 off Family Tickets: £47, £55

SCHOOLS PERFORMANCES: £7.50 each (supervising teachers free)

Ask at Box office for full details on the prices.

Why not try our fun Cinderella game and pass it on to all your friends?

You can also download an Education Pack for our pantomime Cinderella here, which has lots of useful information and practical worksheets to use before or after your visit.

Why not make a day of it and pre-book a Christmas Lunch at The Riverfront Cafe, prices start at £10.95 for two courses, call 01633 656685 to book now!

Fancy a bit of Skating to feel really festive, find out more about The Newport Skating Rink outside The Riverfront!

Book Now
Review by Andy Howells, Musical Theatre, posted Thursday 29 December
The formula of a giant pumpkin, a glass slipper, a flying horse and two very ugly sisters results in a festive treat of sparkling slapstick fun in Hiss and Boo?s 2011 pantomime production of Cinderella which plays at Newport Riverfront in South Wales until January 2nd 2012.

Featuring a glittering cast of television stars Keiron Self, Melanie Walters and Richard Elis, Cinderella features an array of colourful costumes, magical effects and even a sprinkling of seasonal snow!

Nichola Lagan Gives An Enchanting Performance As Cinderella Nichola Lagan is enchanting in the title role of the beautiful Cinderella who despite interventions from her ugly sisters Blodwen and Myfanwy (played by Lee Mengo and Richard Elis), tries her hardest to go the ball hosted by her beloved Prince Charming (Rob Wilshaw) and his servant Dandini (Jamie Anderson).

Thankfully Cinders has a little help from her Fairy Godmother (Melanie Walters), Baron Hardup (Anthony Osborn), Eliza (Emma Goodwin) and her best friend Buttons, (Keiron Self) to ensure her safe arrival to the Princes ball.

Melanie Walters and Keiron Self Star In Newport Riverfront's Cinderella

Several well-known stars of television add their mark to this stellar production. Sitcom stars Melanie Walters from Gavin and Stacey and Newport born and bred actor Keiron Self from High Hopes and My Family are ideally cast as The Fairy Godmother and Buttons respectively.

Keen eyed EastEnders fans may spot Richard Elis (who played Huw in the popular soap) as one of the ugly sisters. This is Richard?s second appearance in pantomime having appeared as Abanazar in last year?s production of Aladdin.

Also making reappearance at Newport Riverfront?s pantomime is Lee Mengo. Lee gives a fabulous performance as Widow Twankey in the 2010 production of Aladdin and brings impeccable comic timing to the fore alongside Richard Elis in Cinderella.

Both Mengo and Elis display the ability to work together as a credible double-act delivering a hilarious Hip-Hop take on the White Christmas song Sisters before demonstrating classic slapstick in the Near Enough Ballet at the Princes Ball alongside Keiron Self as Buttons.

Plenty of song and dance routines are also spread throughout Cinderella provided by local youngsters from Newport lead by actress and choreographer Emma Goodwin. These stunning dance sequences which serve to embellish the productions colourful scenes.

Guaranteed to be enjoyed by the whole family, Cinderella is an excellent way to end the festive season if you happen to be in the vicinity of South Wales. The production ends on January 2, 2012, for booking information visit the Newport Riverfront website.



Review by Theatre In Wales Reviews, posted Saturday 3 December
Once again The Riverfront, side by side with Panto experts, the Hiss and Boo Company herald in this year?s Christmas happiness with their delightful and highly entertaining pantomime.

With its bright and colourful traditional scenery and costumes, as the show dances from one scene to the next it feels like turning the pages of a huge book of fairy stories.

And an excellent telling of the heart rendering rags to riches tale of Cinderella?s new found happiness this production is. Everything romps off to a lively start with Musical Director Rob Mitchell providing a whole host of amazing sounds from his keyboard.

A flash of light and a very charming and disarmingly young Fairy Godmother is before our eyes and giving us an enchanting welcome to the absorbing narrative. In fact she gives us a summary of the twisting plot as a curtain raiser, introducing us to Cinderella and her two sisters, they seemed surprisingly nice at this stage, at a time many years before our story begins. A pint-sized Buttons tries to muscle in on the act but he is told his turn will come later.

Another flash and she is gone. Later disguised as a friendly old harpy she does some very good character acting. Her comedy needs to be a bit sharper to begin with but very quickly Melanie Walters with her warm smile wins us all.

Vivienne McMaster?s choreography moves everything speedily along. The children from Newport Schools have responded to her teaching with tremendous enthusiasm and make a really sparkling contribution to the show. Dancing with them is the central character in this twisting plot, Nichola Lagan as sweet and lovely a Cinderella as anyone would want. She sings and dances delightfully and radiates such pleasantness of personality that totally captivates.

As our youthful hero, Prince Charming the handsome Rob Wilshaw is made for his role. All things being equal they will clearly make a great loving couple but things aren?t equal and Cinderella has a long road to travel. And if her horrible sisters Blodwen and Myfanwy have anything to do with it she will never get there. The ?coarse? acting from Lee Mengo and Richard Elis is great fun to watch; they make a remarkable knock-about double act and do a brilliant job of revealing to the huge young audience what a nasty, selfish pair they are. The fervent boos and hisses they have thrown at them are all in the great pantomime spirit that runs all through this show. They do get a bit too noisy at times but their bark is just as unpleasant as their bite.

All the goodies in this show have an appealing charm and friendliness that imparts itself to the eager audience. Poor old Baron Hardup (Anthony Osborne) has an awful time with his two ugly, wayward daughters. He is a good sort but very easily put upon. Anthony Osborne gives him a very kind-hearted character who reaches fulfilment when he sees his other daughter find real happiness.

Our Fairy Godmother isn?t the only one on the scene trying to smooth out all the nasty tricks the terrible two get up to. Cinderella also gets a helping hand from her friend Buttons who is very much in love with her but is quite reconciled when he sees her go off so wonderfully happy with her gorgeous prince. Keiron Self is a Jack the Lad Buttons who has a wonderful time with the young audience and they have a wonderful time with him. In true Welsh pantomime tradition he gets us all tongue-tied trying to master singing Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. It?s hard enough trying to spell it! Relief is at hand, the slipper fits and the sparkling coach magically appears and carries our new found friends off to a very happy ending. Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan



Review by Tryst Williams, Western Mail, posted Wednesday 7 December
OK, so Newport might not be quite up there with Lapland and the North Pole when it comes to places you associate with Christmas.

But, by gum, this panto is guaranteed to warm your cockles and is as likely to get you in the festive spirit as a whole case of Bailey?s.

You know the story ? like Kate Middleton?s courtship but with poverty in the back story and a couple of ugly siblings to boot.

And anyone whose ever been a kid will know the panto format, with parochial gags aplenty ? in this case, jibes about Rogerstone folk and Severn Bridge tolls (which?ll have to be revised come the end of its run). But despite its necessarily traditional constraints, this production is a cut above the norm, with the bonus of keeping my eight and five-year-olds entranced throughout its two and a half hour run.

For a start you?ve got Gwen from Gavin & Stacey (Melanie Walters) as the glam fairy godmother, with not an omelette in sight, while the other comedy roles really shine through.

There?s Keiron Self (the gormless one from My Family ? not that that narrows it down) as the wisecracking Buttons to the ugly sisters played Richard Ellis (bloke who played the first Welsh role in EastEnders, fact fans) and Lee Mengo, particularly in the eye-watering balloon dance sequence and the usual ghostly shenanigans.

Then, amid the traditionalism there?s a nod to contemporary mores with the lovestruck romantic leads? performance of Adele?s Make You Feel My Love.

Cheesy, yes. But in a good way.

Meanwhile, without whiz-bang holograms or fly-wires, the most hi-tech it gets is the robotic wooden horse and carriage shrouded in dry ice that whisks Cinders to the ball at the end of act one.

But this is all part of its back-to-basics enchantment. And it does it all so well ? particularly in the way it revels in the whole Christmassy feel, replete with snow falling from the rafters onto the audience at the end.

Which is what you want from a panto, really. Go see.

Cinderella runs at the Riverfront Theatre in Newport until Monday January 2. Call 01633 656757



Review by Matt Somers, Newport City Radio, posted Thursday 8 December
Turning 30 even further compounds the saturation of my Christmas spirit. My imagination no longer vivid enough to create the enchanting stories in my mind of father Christmas pacing through the skies fighting all the elements just to deliver me that one present I have longed for all year round. Not just using your conventional methods of delivery but disappearing down a chimney barely the size for a small animal just to strategically position the present in the required pile for the morning. Obliging to a nibble of a mince pie and a glass of milk whilst taking a carrot for the reindeers.

Since having children I have vowed to encapsulate their enthusiasm and excitement for this special time in an effort to reignite my Christmas spirit for years to come. Our recent visit to the Pantomime Cinderella at the Riverfront Theatre certainly managed to excite the children on the night (me and my wife). My son?s Rowan 4 and Elliot 2 fully embraced the crowd participation elements, which were unduly led by the fantastic buttons played by Keiron Self. He was Witty and compelling to watch encompassing every association I had with a Pantomime in his role alone. The Prince Charming was indeed charming and Cinderella was beautiful. They guided their way through the show taking you on the journey, the highs the lows and unfortunate experiences they have with the ugly sisters. Every magical element that crops up throughout the show leaves you with a smile on your face and the Christmas feeling in your stomach. The entire cast was exceptional and the general experience my family had was fantastic and I would strongly recommend this to anyone of any age.



Review by South Wales Argus, Andy Howells, posted Monday 5 December
Christmas is coming and Cinderella can't go to the ball, but never worry, Buttons is ditching his South Wales Argus paper delivery round to help Cinder's find her Prince Charming! Sounds fun? Well, it is. Newport Riverfront's presentation of Cinderella in association with Hiss and Boo Productions features over two hours of song, dance, and slapstick, a sprinkle of snow and an all-star cast as well as a magical flying horse. The tale of Cinderella is made possible by an enchanting performance from Nichola Lagan in the title role, while Rob Wilshaw makes female hearts flutter as Prince Charming. Melanie Walters (from Gavin & Stacey) is every inch the Fairy Godmother and regularly disappears in a puff of smoke while Keiron Self (from My Family and High Hopes) raises many smiles as Buttons especially when encouraging the audience to join in with the almost unpronounceable song about the Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Returning panto favourites Richard Elis (from EastEnders)and Lee Mengo make a fabulous comic double act as Blodwen and Myfanwy - The Ugly Sisters and give Goldie Lookin' Chain a run for their money with a hip hop version of Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen's White Christmas classic Sisters. The pair also show their talent for visual comedy performing the Near Enough Ballet alongside Kieron Self. Emma Goodwin as Eliza and Newport's talented children also provide some stunning choreographed dance sequences adding further to the magic of Cinderella's colourful scenes. Cinderella continues at Newport Riverfront until January 2, 2012

Andy Howells South Wales Argus

Review by The Stage, posted Monday 5 December
The stuff of real magic with a flying horse, fireworks, sparkle and indoor snow... bound to bring out childhood delight and festive cheer in all people of all ages.

As an added bonus, Buttons provides a party trick, teaching the audience how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Although you might not manage it after three glasses of sherry on Christmas Day.

Suzy Wild - The Stage