Tyne Theatre and Opera House – Tue 16 Dec – Sun 4 Jan 2026
We were lucky enough to get invited to the ball on Saturday! As guests at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House‘s opening night performance of Cinderella.
It was an amazing night, with a truly spectacular show, with something for everyone! This years panto was a real extravaganza and saw us reliving this classic fairy tale, rags to riches story, Geordie style!
The Fairy Godmother, played by the iconic Maureen Nolan, brought her magic to the stage and got the show going with this spellbinding tale.
Local actor Scarlett Robinson made her debut as Cinderella. She was a natural and perfectly cast for the role lead role. It was a really strong debut and we think she’ll be one to watch in the future!
Her love interest, Prince Canny was played by Jamie Corner. He played the role well and was an excellent singer. The two gave a really convincing performance together and had genuine chemistry. But will Cinderella get her Prince and live happily after?
Well not if the Ugly Sisters have anything to do with it! Played by Lewis Denny and Micky Cochrane this gruesome twosome were a real hoot, lewd and loud, they brought the perfect level of cheek to the performance. They served the roles of main panto villains with no wicked step mother role in this version of the story. Alongside them was Robbie Dee as Baron Hardup, Cinderella’s doting but weak-willed father.
Keeping the whole show together was the legendary Charlie Richmond, as Buttons. Charlie has been part of the furniture at Tyne Theatre and Opera House for over 17 year now! He never fails to hit the mark, with perfect comedic timing, great one liners, audience interaction and some memorable ad lib moments, cracking up crowd and cast alike.
Last but by no means least, we had the dynamic duo of Twist and Pulse, playing the man servants, Dan and Dini. They were amazing! We saw them at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House last year and were blown away then, but this time was even better, with an incredibly memorable performance. They really got the crowd fired up. The transitions between humorous moments and some epic dance moves were seemless and left the audience in awe.
As well as Twist and Pulse there were a host of dancers, with both the troops of professional and child dancers. They were amazing, with a really high standard of performers. They can be very proud of their performances, with some great set pieces, setting the scene and getting the crowd off their feet.
There were some surprises and special effects to wow the crowd too, but I’ll not give anything away!
Alongside the classic story were all the usual crowd pleasers, with set pieces, slapstick routines, local gags, audience participation, and more. As ever, the Tyne Theatre and Opera House hit the mark! The effort and energy they put into their pantos is plain to see and results in an incredibly professional, fun packed, entertaining, laugh out loud funny and memorable experience. We really can’t say enough about their pantomimes, they keep hitting the high notes, all the while raising the bar more and more each time.
Top marks to Cinderella, we definitely recommend this show!
You can catch the show Tue 16 Dec – Sun 4 Jan 2026. For more information visit here.
If you are feeling brave there is also an Adults Only performance available, which promises to push the boundaries and turn up the innuendo to 10.