Cinderella

Fans of BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey are in for a treat this Christmas as Melanie Walters swaps Wales for her magic wand and heads to Mansfield Palace Theatre to play the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. The actress, best known for playing Gwen West in the BAFTA-winning TV series, is looking forward to casting her magic spells on the audience.

Those with children will recognise the infectious smile of Olivia Birchenough as Cinderella. Olivia was born in Cheshire and has been singing, dancing and acting since a young age. Her studies – which included aerial acrobatics, gymnastics and circus skills – paid off when she was given a presenting role on channel 5’s Milkshake! Olivia can’t wait to put on her (glad)rags and head to the Ball this Christmas. This is her third time playing the title character of Cinderella for UK Productions and is a part she won Best Leading Female for at the 2017 Great British Pantomime Awards.

Completing the casting line up are Jamie Morris and Tarot Joseph who promise to bring an extensive range of outrageous yet glamorous costumes to their roles as the Ugly Sisters.

Melanie, Olivia, Jamie and Tarot all starred in Cinderella together during the 2017/18 pantomime season. The chemistry they have as a cast has been likened to spending Christmas with family, and with the added magic of the sensational Shetland Ponies live on stage, this could be the town’s best panto yet! (Oh yes it could!)