GET yourselves down to the Devenish this Christmas for the best panto in town.
As the dad to a 13-year-old daughter, I’m a veteran of ten panto seasons and can speak with some authority on the subject.
Neil Kerry – who wrote the script – plays Fairy-Up Liquid
With that in mind, I promise that you'll be in for a bellyful of laughs as Brassneck Theatre Company bring you a modern take on Cinderella, where Cinders' nagging sisters ‘The Karens’ – played by the excellent Orla Graham and Vicky Allen – are obsessed with their own TikTok videos and bully the much put upon Cinders and Buttons into choreographing their dance moves for them. When they're invited to the Biggest Ball in Belfast by @Thehandsomeprince (Simon Sweeney) – who’s also caught up in his self-obsessed social media profile – we're on familiar territory, or are we?
From the off the laughs roll as Fairy-Up Liquid – played by the hilarious Neil Kerry, who also wrote the script and kept the best lines for himself – has the audience eating out of the palm of his rather large hands, and keeps the fast-paced story moving along while lobbing in some Christmas crackers that only the adults in the room will get.
Cinders and her sisters
And that’s the beauty of this production, which is superbly directed by Tony Devlin. Any good pantomime must cater for children and adults alike, and with Brassneck’s Cinderella adults will feel very much at home.
Cinderella (Philippa O’Hara) and Buttons (Conor Cupples) have a genuine chemistry, while Philippa captures the mood on stage and in the audience with her beautiful singing voice.
Look out for the modern twist at the end and sit back for just under two hours (with a timely interval) and enjoy the start of the festive season. It’s a perfect night out for the family or with a 7 o’clock start the ideal beginning to the evening for a group of friends heading out for some festive fun. School shows during the day are also available with the panto running until December 21.
The Karens are not your typical sisters
Tickets are reasonably priced from £8-£12 so you won’t break the bank and are on sale at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-brassneck-family-panto-cinderella-tickets-706018780177.
