AS the year is drawing to a close and the Christmas festivities begin, I was delighted to be invited to the opening night of Cinderella at The Anvil.
The Anvil is located in the heart of Basingstoke and every year audiences are always treated to the most magical pantomime you could imagine, which brings back plenty of childhood memories.
The story you see in the show is the same as the traditional fairytale with modern twists throughout. It is filled with everything you want from a pantomime - larger-than-life characters, side-splitting comedy, lavish costumes and spectacular scenery.
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This year's festive show told the traditional story of poor Cinderella who always works hard day and night while her spiteful sisters do nothing. This all changes when she meets her magical Fairy Godmother.
The show filled me with joy and happiness from start to finish and I particularly loved seeing the fantastic sister act duo of Nic Gibney as Harmony Hard-Up and Duncan Burt as Melody Hard-up. It is easy to see why they were the Best Ugly Sisters, UK Pantomime Award winners in 2022. Even with their evil ways, it is hard to not love them with their scenes filled with sarcasm and even some innuendos.
Meanwhile, the Fairy Godmother is played by the lovely Debbie McGee and it was nice to see a well-known Strictly star on stage. She even managed to get a sneaky dance in, delighting audiences who clapped and cheered along.
The story was also filled with charm as we watched Rachel Grundy playing Cinderella and Joseph Hewlett as the Prince fall in love. Both played the roles brilliantly with the Prince's ditzy humour proving a big hit. Meanwhile, Rachel captures Cinderella's innocence perfectly making for a beautiful performance.
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Returning to the stage was Basil Brush's favourite Chris Pizzey, who of course made me laugh from start to finish.
Perhaps the most heart-warming part of the show was the young dancers from the North Hampshire Academy of Dance and the Basingstoke Academy of Dance. They impressed with their enchanting dancing, which really brought the staging to life.
The show was everything I love about pantomime and more.
Cinderella continues at The Anvil until Monday, January 2. To buy tickets, go to anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on/event/cinderella.
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