Gamble pays off as Dandini shines

CINDERELLA, Opera House, Manchester, to January 3

ON paper it looks like First Family, the nation’s biggest producer of star-populated panto, might have made a mess of the Opera House show this Christmas.

For the past five seasons comedian Tam Ryan has reigned supreme as the longest-serving panto regular for years, his manner friendly, his jokes silly and his set-pieces brilliant

But along have come Torvill and Dean and Ryan’s undoubted local drawing power (this year he’s in Bolton, for those interested) hasn’t been required.

Curiously enough though, one comedian has been replaced by two — and the biggest hit of the evening is the least likely.

Writer Eric Potts and director Pip Minnithorpe have clearly made some compromises to allow their skating stars to shine: audience interaction is fairly minimal; the act one transformation is sweet without being spectacular, there’s no songsheet or child interviews and the sets, apart from a large staircase, video screens and fireworks, aren’t as grand as in previous years (and have large empty spaces where skaters are meant to go...)

As Fairy Godmother and Godfather, Torvill and Dean are amiable and entertaining enough, and while they aren’t actors they do at least have a go and get in a couple of extended roller blade dance sequences (including one based on their famous Bolero routine, except with flying involved).

In a Potts panto comedy is usually king and here it is again, with technically four comedy characters — Buttons, the Ugly Sisters and... Dandini.

Don’t scoff at that last one because camp, Kenneth Williams-like actor Samuel Holmes steals virtually every scene he is in and is the find of the season. His eye-rolling, generally hilarious style is a great foil for the excesses of the traditional “Uglies”, Rita (Dave Lynn) and Cheryl (Tim Hudson) and friendly gump Buttons (Andre Vincent).

As for the central characters, Liam Doyle has a great voice and looks and Eloise Davies is a sweet, strongly-voiced Cinders.

The evening moves at a cracking pace without an ounce of fat and just when you think it’s all over the entire cast comes out with a high-powered rendition of “River Deep, Mountain High”.

After the love ballads and power of the singing, this final burst of energy sends the audiences out into the night having had its money’s worth.