REVIEW: Cinderella at Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

Cinderella

Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

Until Sunday 4 January 2026

The "Godmother of all Pantomimes" is a real crowd pleaser thanks to a tight cast and a funny script. Central to the success of the show is Charlie Richmond, who has appeared at the Tyne Theatre for the past 17 years. Cinderella shows that you can have a successful traditional panto in Newcastle.

With a loud bang, that makes you jump, Maureen Nolan appeared as the Fairy Godmother. Sometimes with "celebrity" casting you get some issues as the person has limited acting or singing skills and doesn't understand the panto format. This is not the case with Maureen who looked totally at ease in the role even when chaos is happening onstage. She oozes charm and personality.

Soon we are introduced to the rest of the cast. Now given that this was the final show of a three show day, the cast gave us all plenty of energy. Charlie Richmond has grown from being the comic with the old guard, to being the reason why the audience return every year with the now-not-so-new production company. Whilst some shows don't bother involving the audience, this show is happy to get the kids up. Charlie is so generous as the children do their unpredictable thing. But Charlie also interacts with the cast as the show unfolds. This is less about scripted reactions to planned mistakes, or in the final scene, heckles, it is natural interaction. Through his wonderful funny bones, the show has a positively funny feel throughout. But the comedy never crosses the line (though they have announced some adults only shows at the end of the run that promise to cross that line).

Making her professional debut is local actor Scarlett Robinson as Cinderella who comes across as naturally suited to the role. For a first engagement Scarlett nailed the performance. Panto can be a baptism of fire but she held her own in each scene that she was part of. 

Of course Cinders has to cope with her Ugly Step-Sisters. Lewis Denny and Micky Cochrane are a pair of characters who well well in partnership as the awful twosome. These North Eastern actors compliment each other and never overcook a scene. They add to a production in roles that can easily become annoying, but they don't spoil a joke. A shout out to Mark who was very sporting during the show.

Completing the line up are professional musical theatre actor Jamie Corner as Prince Canny, Twist and Pulse's Ashley Glazebrook-Durbridge & Glen Murphy sharing the man servant role as Dan and Dini, and Carlisle radio presenter Robbie Dee as Baron Hardup. The Prince and Baron come across as traditional panto performers who help keep the show narratively on track. It is the first time I have seen Twist and Pulse and I'm sure there will be members of the audience that enjoyed it when the show stopped so they could do their dance routines.

Which brings me to the writing. The programme lists the writers as "Guy Pascal, Charlie Richmond and Tom Whalley". Baring in mind that we only saw Tom Whalley's Cinderella a week ago elsewhere, I would suggest that the bulk of the show was written by the local talented actor Tom, with funny additional material from Charlie and Guy. I could be wrong but I recognised a lot of script. This means that the show is funny, local and light on its toes.

The thing the makes this show unique in the region is a live band who added energy to the proceedings. The outfits looked lush, and that includes those on the younger dancers. I do wish they'd adjusted Maureen's dresses to make it easier for her to move around. The dancers were fabulous and added value to the music scenes. And yes - this show features that rare species - the children who dance.

There is a special effect, which has thankfully replaced those 3D scenes that were popular a few years ago, as a moment that had many in the Grand Circle around us going "wow" just before the interval - no spoilers here!

Cinderella is a wonderful pantomime. As fans of "trad" panto, we really enjoyed it.

The Tyne Theatre & Opera House is an essential part of Newcastle's cultural scene. Owned and operated by a charity that does not always get the credit for preserving this fine Victorian Opera House, this panto is a really professional display of this venues capacity to entertain. ...and yes we agree with Charlie, the theatre tour is worth doing. 

Now... was that Mrs Claus that we saw on the way in tonight?

Review: Stephen Oliver

Tickets: 

Family Show - https://www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk/whatson/cinderella/#Tickets_in

Adults only (18+) show: https://www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk/whatson/cinderella-adult-panto/#Tickets_in