Cinderella, London Palladium

So as regular readers to my posts will know I was hideously excited about seeing this pantomime at the London Palladium and I am delighted to report I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was fabulous!

It's not quite perfect, with 8 "above the title" stars to accommodate, they jostle for stage time and some of them are in normally minor roles which skew the story but still......

Without doubt Julian Clary steals the show. He has around 10 (I lost count) fabulous costumes which must have swallowed up most of the production budget. I can see him wearing them in various cities around the country for the next 5 years! "Next year they want me to go to Wolverhampton" he cries and pulls a disgusted face. He has the most OUTRAGEOUS double entendres and even manages to illicit huge laughs on innocuous lines such as " I'm the Princes' right hand man!"

In order to get two characters together on stage who normally would not be, the script tries to have us believe that Dandini (Clary) and the Baroness Hardup (O'Grady) once were an item - which stretches credulity even in a pantomime but of course it results in the one of the many highlights of the show with Clary and O'Grady exchanging insults, comments and banter and trying to make each other laugh.

O'Grady delivers, channeling Cruella De Ville with again the most fabulous costumes.

Giving Clary a run for his money in stealing the show, however, is Paul Zerdin as Buttons who has a likeable personality and the most adorable rude puppet boy Sam who almost steals the show from the human cast. The script is very funny and the vent act superb.

Nigel Havers, also delivers a winning personality receiving huge laughs and applause at the curtain call for his limited role as Lord Chamberlain - the script making a running gag about his lack of stage time.

Amanda Holden looks lovely in her gorgeous costumes and gives a masterclass in how to make a little talent go along way.

Given all the above scene stealing "turns" poor Cinderella and her Prince get very little stage time to shine. Lee Meads numbers are cut short or he is simply made to be the straight foil for Julian Clary's gags. He either has no stage personality or he plays a very drippy Prince very well. His one attempt at humour on an entrance was met with a withering "It's far too early in the run to try and start ad-libbing" from Clary!

Natasha J Barnes makes a lovely Cinderella with gorgeous singing voice but we hear very little of it, unfortunately.

Count Arthur Strong ( whoever this character is supposed to be) fell completely flat and the character could have been cut altogether for me saving both a wage and cutting down the running time of 3 hours - yes it still 3 hours - too long.

I missed the Ugly Sister played by men - I never think it really works with women playing the roles.

But the show is lavishly staged with some fabulous effects - the costumes sumptuous!

A hugely funny "if I were not upon the stage" music hall routine, brilliantly choreographed and executed but the stars. This received the biggest applause of the evening.

A couple of footnotes - a very nice glossy programme/brochure for £5 which I thought was good value although O'Grady remarked from the stage "oh nobody buys a programme - have you seen the price!"

My other footnote is that normally I am prepared to tazer audience members who talk, use phones, cough, unwrap noisy sweets etc. I have zero tolerance, but as it is panto I am usually prepared to allow plenty of slack - it is panto after all. However, I have to report the most well behaved audience at a family show EVER! It may have had something to do with the fact that the packed theatre had very few children in it - 90% adults I would say - probably the prices too steep for the kids! Or a credit to the show that they were totally engaged, silent, huge laughs, huge applause and a full standing ovation at the end.