What made Cinderella sparkle in Falkirk

I've never been a great lover of pantomimes but, when a friend of mine said she had a spare ticket for Cinderella at the Town Hall, I decided I'd take the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.
Kate's got Halloween on the brain this weekKate's got Halloween on the brain this week
Kate's got Halloween on the brain this week

I thought it was going to just be the two of us so, when she turned up with an entourage which included a handful of excited children, I feared the worst.

It turns out that it has become something of a Christmas tradition for her to treat the whole family to an afternoon out at the panto but this year one of the regulars was unable to make it along.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I must admit that, if she’d explained that to my at the time, I might have been more reluctant to take up the offer.

However, I’m glad I made the effort as I had a fantastic time and the wee ones’ excitement only served to add to the festive fun.

I know Fairy Babs has taken a bit of a knocking in some quarters for not being as familiar with her lines as would have been expected but she certainly had a good grasp of them by the time we headed along at the tail end of the pantomime’s run.

And, even if there was a little hesitation now and then, it was more that made up for by her fantastic singing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I had the good fortune to hear Barbara Bryceland - who plays the role - at the Falkirk Herald Business Awards a couple of years ago and there’s no doubt she has the gift of being able to get the audience on their feet.

Anyway, it’s great to see that, despite it being a professonal show this year, there was still room for local talent on the stage - and that goes for the youngsters who made up the chorus as well.

Of course, part of the magic of panto is the awful jokes and these seemed of go down especially well with the youngsters in our party - especially when there was reference to bottoms!

However, my favourite part of it all was when they got members of the audience on to the stage to join in the singing of a song before the big finale.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

These youngsters stole the show and had Saturday’s afternoon’s audience in stitches with their ad libbing, Perhaps we might see them in starring roles in the future.

Well done to Falkirk for putting on such a great performance and I’m pleased to say my friend’s family enjoyed it so much that they intend returning next year - so that’s eight seats sold arealdy. Oh, and one extra for me of course!