Cinderella begins run at Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal

The Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, opened the show on Tuesday (December 2), entertaining audiences of all ages with music, humour and lively performances.

The family pantomime will run until Saturday, January 10, and promises a mix of storytelling, comedy and audience interaction.

Jo Mawhinney, director of the production and part of the award-winning writing team behind the show, said: "Cinderella is full of surprises, magic, and mischief.

"From the slipper that fits just right to the Fairy Godmother’s twinkling stars, this production is packed with laughs, music and festive sparkle."

Ms Mawhinney said the pantomime also includes "plenty of cheeky nods to the local area," along with "some very special Tunnock’s Teacakes, and moments that will have audiences cheering, booing and clapping along".

She added: "This really is pantomime at its most joyful."

Cinderella marks the second pantomime from writing duo Jo and Jake Mawhinney.

Their 2024 production of Treasure Island became the theatre’s most successful pantomime to date and was nominated for Best Script at the UK Pantomime Awards.

This year’s cast features a mix of returning favourites and new faces, each bringing their own flair to the beloved story.

Stepping into glass slippers in the title role is Lucy Booton, a Richmond native whose passion for theatre began on the Georgian stage as a young performer in Jack and the Beanstalk.

Ms Booton trained at the University of Northampton.

She stars opposite Jack McGarry, who returns for his third Georgian Theatre Royal pantomime as Prince Charming.

Mr McGarry trained at The Arden School of Theatre and has appeared both on stage and screen, including in the UK tour of New Dawn Fades as Joy Division’s Stephen Morris.

In the role of the Wicked Stepmother is Dan Cockett, a Guildford School of Acting graduate whose credits include Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, Scrooge, Anything Goes, Macbeth, and Blithe Spirit.

Mr Cockett previously appeared at the Georgian Theatre in concert with The Marske Choir and The Alice Issue.

Matthew Fordy, who recently performed in Jurassic World Live (Universal) and Yuletide Lanterns (Tatton Park), takes on the role of Buttons.

Mr Fordy is originally from North Yorkshire.

This year’s Ugly Sisters are played by returning cast member Joshua Payne and Aidan MacFarlane.

Mr MacFarlane’s connection to the theatre runs deep—he has been involved as a youth theatre member, director, and long-standing assistant stage manager.

He also joins musical director Joshua Payne on drums in this year’s production.

Sally Ann Staunton, whose actor-musician credits include Peter Pan at Derby Theatre, Tutti Frutti, Tall Stories, Slung Low, and Interplay Theatre, plays the Fairy Godmother.

She returns to Yorkshire and to The Georgian Theatre with what is described as a "magical performance filled with charm, rhyme and rhythm."

Adding even more sparkle to the show is the theatre’s Young Company, made up of 18 talented local performers.

As tradition dictates, the Georgian Theatre panto also features "side-splitting comedy, uplifting musical numbers, and the theatre’s beloved panto knitting," which this year takes the form of twinkling knitted stars.

Another returning favourite is the tradition of Tunnock’s Teacakes—now a "firm favourite among audiences" and a source of laughter and mischief throughout the show.

Following the early sell-out of last year’s Treasure Island pantomime, audiences are encouraged to book tickets quickly.

Tickets are available now from the box office and online.