Panto - it's just bonkers isn't it? I haven't been to one in years, and so had forgotten the sheer madness of it all. I mean, no mind the whole men-playing-women/women-playing-men thing, let's not forget the bad acting, outrageous costumes, appalling jokes, random selection of songs, together with all the usual audience-participation lines that are shouted out year after year in theatres up and down the country. This production of Cinderella in Bath is no exception to all of that - and just between you and me, I'm secretly glad. Cruella da Ville and Britney Spears
 | | Ruth Madoc as the fairy godmother |
The highlights of this particular panto, for me, were the ugly sisters: Dilly played by Mark Buffery, alongside Jon Monie's Dolly. Right from one of their first lines - "do you know who we hate the most?" Expected answer: Cinderella. Actual answer: "the French" - they had me chuckling away. Not only did they have all the best jokes ("you have the impotence to come with us", "I've never been so shocked since... the last time I was shocked" and "how very dare you", borrowed from Catherine Tate), they also had the best costumes. Dressed as two different versions of Cruella da Ville one minute, to appearing as Britney Spears in her Toxic and Oops! I Did It Again videos the next, Mark and Jon bounced off each other with fast-paced wit and hilarity.
 | | Mark Buffery as Dilly and Jon Monie as Dolly |
They told jokes that worked on both an adult and kids' level, and got the biggest laughs of the night. Apart from the renegade children sitting in the first couple of rows that is, who insisted on shouting out things like "don't snatch" when the ugly sisters took Cinderella's invitation to the ball away from her, and "no, don't do it" when Prince Charming asked Cinders to marry him. Brilliant! A bonkers time in Bath Ruth Madoc as the fairy godmother (who came complete with references to her character in Little Britain) was charming, Chris "Mr Bath panto" Harris made for a fun and loveable Buttons (the bit where he tries to cheer Cinders up is genuinely funny) and Gillian Budd was everything you'd expect a Cinderella to be.
 | | Chris Harris as Buttons |
However, there were parts of the panto that didn't work terribly well. Personally, I found Prince Charming and Dandini to be rather bland (I'm not sure whether that was due to the characters or the actors). I also thought the rendition of Scissor Sisters' I Don't Feel Like Dancin' (which I'm not sure anyone can sing that well, apart from Jake Shears himself) was excruciatingly awful, and I felt much of the second half to be quite padded, with lots of loosely linked comedy sketches. In fact, my favourite part of the show was actually at the end of the first half, when Cinderella's wish came true. The young dancers made her gown delightfully, and the stage was transformed from the drab Hardup Hall to an enchanting scene complete with Shetland ponies (yep, actual real-life, gorgeously cute Shetland ponies) and a glittering carriage, in which the now made-over Cinders was waiting to be whisked away to meet her Prince Charming.
 | | Gillian Budd as Cinderella |
This was a wonderful part of the production which truly captured the magic of fairytales - thinking about it, perhaps that's what makes panto work. Yes, it's barmy, weird and makes no sense, but it's also fun, entertaining and heartwarming. Speaking as someone who hasn't been to one in a while, it's good to see that the traditional bonkers panto is still alive and well in Bath. Cinderella appears at the Theatre Royal Bath until 21 January 2007. | 
