COMEDY duo The Krankies round-off their hat-trick of Grand pantos with the best yet, a version of Cinderella that's full of cheeky humour and top tunes.
The fandabidozi duo, as Baron Hardup and Buttons, are the nation's top panto pros and their naughty-but-nice humour had the kids in stitches - and the parents too when 'Wee Jimmy' did his impressions of Susan Boyle and Ozzy Osbourne.
And this panto has got the X-Factor... excellent singers in Tamworth's former X-Factor semi finalist Niki Evans as the Fairy Godmother and former West End Phantom of the Opera Nic Greenshields as Prince Charming. Tunes range from a song from Hairspray (next summer's Grand blockbuster) to Abba and Hannah Montana numbers.
Cinderella has got the wow factor too, getting 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the audience at the end of the first act with a flying horse and carriage, similar to the impressive flying car effect in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Grand's big show last summer.
Every panto needs some hissable villains and it gets them with Ugly Sisters 'Trinny and Susannah' (Ben Stock and Nathan Kiley), dragged up to the nines in a series of bizarre dresses that deserve their place in the Victoria and Albert Museum. We get an extra villain with Dandini, usually the Prince's best mate, turned into a scheming would-be usurper via some plot hokum which allowed Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis to chew the scenery in true over-the-top panto villain style.
Add a demure blonde Cinders (Danielle York) with a pleasant singing voice, some enthusiastic dancers and cute kids, plus a brief cameo by flavour-of-the-season Churchill (oh yes, that TV advert dog) and you get a panto that's designed to please and doesn't disappoint.
Go and see Cinderella, you'll have a ball! It's on at the Grand until January 31.
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