The Kings Theatre's Pompey Panto, Cinderella: 'The Best kind of chaos' | Review

Jack Edwards – the Pompey panto’s perennial ‘fat man in a dress’ – as the Fairy Godmother gets things off to a good start, setting up the plot with a fart joke here and a dig at Southampton there.

From there we’re quickly into the introduction of Cinderella herself and a chance for Michelle Antrobus to show off her impressive singing talent with Queen’s Don’t Stop me Now. It’s immediately obvious to see how she’s won lead roles in the West End.

And then… rather ironically, it does all stop. There’s a problem with the music and the curtain has to come down for about 15 minutes. Fortunately the audience takes it in good grace and when the show resumes the cast poke fun at the mishap.

While Cinderella may be one of the ‘big’ pantos, it must be said that the plot doesn’t exactly hold up to modern standards of sexual equality – which is knowingly and amusingly sent up by a skit with a feminist villager.

This being panto there’s some fun with the audience – ‘Alex’ is the obligatory dad-in-the-front-row who gets to be the object of the Fairy Godmother’s desires. And pity the two women who manage to enter the stalls well into the first half. Edwards brings proceedings to a halt to come off stage and grill them as to why they are so late – even with the unplanned halt.

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The ugly sisters, Harry Howle as Nutella and Julia Worsley as Polyfilla are a suitably ghastly pair, with their outrageous costumes, cackling banter and catchphrase of ‘Aren’t we adorable’, rightfully receiving well-earned boos aplently.

Actually, there is no weak link among the principles – Grant Urquhart as Prince Charming proves he’s not just a handsome face, holding his own in the singing department during duets with Antrobus; Joe Rowntree gets big laughs as the lovelorn Buttons, while Pete McCrohon does well with the relatively slight part of the Fairy King. Ben Ofoedu as Dandini is the party starter – there’s a running joke about not singing his big hit, Phats and Small’s Turn Around, and of course he eventually does – but not before we also get him doing The Fresh Prince’s Boom! Shake The Room at the palace ball scene. Both performances get the audience up on its feet.

There’s even a cameo from Pompey’s Danny and Nick Cowley, which earns a big cheer.

And it’s lovely to see the children back in the cast too for the first time since 2019, no thanks to the pandemic.

Cinderella’s transformation scene is key to this show, and it’s well played here, with her carriage really appearing to fly at the end of the first half

Of course no Pompey Panto would be complete without The Ghost Gag, or The 12 Days of Christmas, which sees toilet rolls flying around the theatre – one loo-roll thrown by a child in the front row catches Edwards full in the face – set-pieces which had my seven-year-old howling with laughter.

So it’s chaos. But it’s the best kind of chaos.

On until December 31. For tickets go to kingsportsmouth.co.uk.