tried & tested

The Party Starts Tonight!

There are lots of traditions associated with Christmas but Pantomime must be up there at the top of the list. Every year we come to the show at Queens Theatre in Hornchurch and say "that was amazing, the best yet" and then the following year they step it up yet again. This year is no exception.

Cinderella is a triumph. My 10 year old - hard to please as most 10 year olds are said "That was a 10/10 Mum, better than ever!"

The players at Queens Theatre always manage to bring something a little different to a story and this year is no exception. Yes there is the all that you would expect from a Cinderella story but right from the off there are twists and elements that make the show special. Every character has something new to bring to what we all know from this traditional fairy tale.

First we meet our Fir Tree Godmother played by Ines Sampaio who gives us a quirky but modern version of a Fairy Godmother. She needs to earn her wings by doing a good deed. In fact, all the characters have a modern twist which definitely caters for a 21st century audience. The traditional ugly sisters in the story are social media beauty influencers Instagrammia and Tiktokia, who are taking selfies and receiving endless deliveries for their 'lives' from Shamazon!

As always, the show is brought to us by just 8 cast members. The musicality of these 8 people gives the show a unique edge. All cast members sing and play at least one instrument. So much talent.

There is only one thing better than the Pantomime dame, and that's TWO Pantomime dames! The comic timing of Jared Leathwood (Tiktokia) and Dominic Gee-Burch (Instagrammia) was flawless throughout the show. They even ad-libbed occasionally and got some extra laughs which even some of the other cast members seemingly didn't expect. Their quips, puns and looks to the audience were hilarious. 

Cinderella herself, played by Em Prendergast, explains in the beginning that she is hard of hearing and she uses sign language help her communicate. She introduced this to the audience and even taught us to sign a few things. It is so refreshing to see elements like this in a show - not to mention how great it is to learn a little bit! My son has since shown what he learned to several people.

I don't want to give the whole story away! The show has all the elements of a great pantomime - lots of slapstick, fun for the kids, perfect comic timing, puns and jokes aimed at the grown ups, local references, audience participation, singing and the most important thing - laughter!

Cinderella is suitable for the whole family. We met several families on the night who come to Queens Theatre every year as part of their annual Christmas traditions, as it is for us too. The finale song was really catchy and I find myself still humming it!

If you haven’t visited Queens Theatre before, or haven’t taken your children to see a pantomime before then I would definitely recommend you get tickets for Cinderella. The facilities at Queens Theatre are ideal for families. Disabled toilet/baby change facilities at the entrance to the auditorium, step free access to the main toilets (of which there are lots so the queue during the interval moved really quickly!) and refreshments which can be pre ordered for the interval. The auditorium is the perfect size so you never feel like you are sitting too far from the stage. Children are offered booster cushions which made sitting on folding theatre seats so much easier.

The whole experience takes just over 2 hours. We took our seats around five minutes before the start of the show and there is a 20 minute interval in the middle - we even met one of the cast during the interval. The Fir Tree Godmother was chatting to families and even stopping for selfies!

If you do just one festive thing this year, let it be the panto!

The show is running until 4th January 2025 - book your tickets here.

Access Shows:

• Touch Tour: Saturday 7 December 12 noon
• Audio Description: Saturday 7 December  2pm
• British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted by Emma Hardy: Tuesday 3 December, Saturday 7 December, Tuesday 17 December (all at 6.30pm) & Friday 3 January  2pm
• Dementia-Friendly Performance: Thursday 19 December  1.30pm
• Relaxed (SEN-Friendly) Performance: Thursday 19 December  5.30pm
• Captioned Performance: Tuesday 2 January  2pm

For the best experience when booking one of the access performances, speak to the Box Office team. Call 01708 443333 or email [email protected]