If ever you need a sweet antidote to these troubling times, the joy and laughter of pantomime might just be the perfect thing for it.
This was certainly the case at the launch of Cinderella at Aberdeen Arts Centre yesterday evening, which goes on to run until December 24.
The greatest panto of them all was brought to life with Doric twists and a fine array of songs, slapstick and silliness that the crowd lapped up.
Talegate Theatre’s cast may have performed superbly, but the real stars of the show were the budding young dancers and actors from Castlegate Arts and Danz Creations dance school, who were all magnificent.
In all, it was a show that could do nothing but delight.
Cinderella
Just how classic is the tale of Cinderella, you might wonder? Well, it might be older than you think.
Charles Perrault’s original folk tale was written in the late 17th century. Since then, it’s travelled the world and been brought to the stage as a pantomime to the delight of audiences for 200 years.
But what makes the tale so enduring is its space for original adaptations to come to the fore, just like Aberdeen Arts Centre’s panto cast showcased.
As the Fairy Godmother (Megan Wright) got the show rolling, audience members both young and old were smitten with smiles etched upon their faces.
Laughs galore
Cinderella (Saffron Gillies) and her best pal Buttons (Xander Gordon) were delightful.
Their chirpy optimism was infectious. Those youngest in the audience especially liked Buttons’ jovial charisma while Cinderella’s graceful poise showed that of a soon to be princess.
Her charming prince soon appeared, their fateful first encounter in the enchanted forest causing her to swoon from his beauty.
With her Fairy Godmother watching over her, Cinderella’s wishes all became true.
The funniest members of the cast were undoubtedly the Ugly Sisters, Tess and Trace (Philip Napier and Fraser Sivewright).
The panto dames for the evening, the hilarious duo excelled from start to finish.
Tess in particular was the boldest of the two, unafraid to go off-script at times and reel in an unfortunate member audience member sat down the front to be their boyfriend for the evening.
Spikkin mostly in Doric, the Ugly Sisters also brought a great local touch to the show.
Their jokes were mainly intended for those older in the audience (often with slices of risqué tongue-in-cheek humour) and all of their varying costumes were each a sight to behold.
Top panto entertainment
Of course, it wouldn’t have been pantomime without plenty of added audience participation as well.
Luckily, the audience had mostly gotten a hang of the etiquette, adding to the atmosphere with plenty of boos for the baddies and calls of ‘it’s behind you’.
The mixture of song choices from classic Christmas numbers to more modern artists like Harry Styles also had everyone involved, clapping their hands and singing along to the words.
And as the fairytale ending all came to fruition, you couldn’t help but smile.
Cinderella made it to the ball in fine style (oh, yes she did!) and she put on one heck of a dazzling panto show.
Cinderella runs at Aberdeen Arts Centre until Christmas Eve. For more information and tickets go to aberdeenartscentre.com
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