Cinderella

Published Monday 17 December 2007 at 12:55 by John Highfield

Anybody who grew up in South Yorkshire will tell you that the undisputed king of pantomime is local hero Bobby Knutt.

And now a whole new generation of youngsters can discover the magic as Knutty makes his return to stage and makes Christmas completely his own.

Even the oldest gag - and some of the jokes in director Paul Hendy’s script must go back to the days of Dan Leno - comes up fresh and funny in Knutty’s hands and surely nobody can get more out of audience participation.

The rest of the cast all have great fun with a production that majors on family fun and banishes smut, relying instead on simple, straightforward storytelling and some lovely design.

Hayley Tamaddon is a feisty Fairy Godmother and former Blue Peter host Matt Baker is a surprisingly effective Prince Charming, nicely supported by Rob McVeigh’s down-to-earth Dandini. Wonderful Ugly Sisters Jack Edwards and Phil Holden play it more for laughs than menace. Even the most sensitive young member of the audience will understand that they are not really so scary.

And Lyceum talent search winner Holly Johnson proves to be a worthwhile gamble on the theatre’s part, with a lovely stage presence and a winning personality.

No pantomime these days would be complete without an Australian import, and Neighbours favourite Ryan Moloney throws himself into the charmingly anarchic fun with enthusiasm.

It’s the start of a good partnership for Sheffield Theatres and Evolution, and certainly suggests that next year’s Aladdin should be well worth booking for.