THEY perform under a name which is far from Christmassy but The Grumbleweeds are set to make the Theatre Royal's festive season their own.
Comedy stalwarts Graham Walker and Robin Colvill, who have been on the circuit since 1962, proved the perfect match for this age-old panto favourite.
While the younger members of the audience could revel in all the tradition of the fairytale, The Grumbleweeds ensured there was plenty to entertain everyone else.
They hilariously hijacked many of the key scenes, repeatedly stopping the story in its well-worn tracks and taking it in an off-the-wall direction.
Like the palace ball, for instance - sumptuous set, lavish outfits, a night all set for romance as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming… suddenly transformed into Bradford Working Men's Club, as the ensemble became embroiled in a bingo night and were given the latest news on racing pigeons and rivet guns.
The flabbergasted face of Dandini (Chris Milford) was a picture … and he hadn't seen Colvill's gobsmacking take on Cher at that point.
The comic duo, cast as the tax-collecting Vatman and Robin, were plain daft throughout (My grandad's called Spider? Why? Because he can't get out of the bath on his own) and are ideal for panto.
Watch out for a side-splitting stool trauma for Walker and the pair's sinister Teletubbies.
But there was much more to commend this panto, which boasts sizeable strength in depth in the cast list.
The Prince was played with camp aplomb by John Partridge (most recently Christian in EastEnders) while the stunning Fairy Godmother was former Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson.
And if you've got one of the Three Degrees in your show, why not give her a big number? Ferguson's take on Whitney Houston's One Moment in Time was spectacular.
There were also notable performances from Adam C Booth as Buttons (with his black belt in Sudoku) and the beautiful Aimie Atkinson as Cinders (another belting singing voice there too).
The Ugly Sisters, Nicole and Tulisa (Martin Ramsdin and David Robbins), treated us to upwards of a dozen ostentatious costume changes and a bit of Gangnam Style to boot.
And for fans of tradition, a big thumbs-up for the key pre-interval transformation scene, where Cinders was whisked to the ball amid a snowstorm which was, amusingly for the rest of us, all too real for some in the front rows.
The Theatre Royal has a hit on its hands.
Cinderella runs until January 13. For tickets details call 0115 989 5555 or go to www.trch.co.uk.
Comedy stalwarts Graham Walker and Robin Colvill, who have been on the circuit since 1962, proved the perfect match for this age-old panto favourite.
While the younger members of the audience could revel in all the tradition of the fairytale, The Grumbleweeds ensured there was plenty to entertain everyone else.
They hilariously hijacked many of the key scenes, repeatedly stopping the story in its well-worn tracks and taking it in an off-the-wall direction.
Like the palace ball, for instance - sumptuous set, lavish outfits, a night all set for romance as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming… suddenly transformed into Bradford Working Men's Club, as the ensemble became embroiled in a bingo night and were given the latest news on racing pigeons and rivet guns.
The flabbergasted face of Dandini (Chris Milford) was a picture … and he hadn't seen Colvill's gobsmacking take on Cher at that point.
The comic duo, cast as the tax-collecting Vatman and Robin, were plain daft throughout (My grandad's called Spider? Why? Because he can't get out of the bath on his own) and are ideal for panto.
Watch out for a side-splitting stool trauma for Walker and the pair's sinister Teletubbies.
But there was much more to commend this panto, which boasts sizeable strength in depth in the cast list.
The Prince was played with camp aplomb by John Partridge (most recently Christian in EastEnders) while the stunning Fairy Godmother was former Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson.
And if you've got one of the Three Degrees in your show, why not give her a big number? Ferguson's take on Whitney Houston's One Moment in Time was spectacular.
There were also notable performances from Adam C Booth as Buttons (with his black belt in Sudoku) and the beautiful Aimie Atkinson as Cinders (another belting singing voice there too).
The Ugly Sisters, Nicole and Tulisa (Martin Ramsdin and David Robbins), treated us to upwards of a dozen ostentatious costume changes and a bit of Gangnam Style to boot.
And for fans of tradition, a big thumbs-up for the key pre-interval transformation scene, where Cinders was whisked to the ball amid a snowstorm which was, amusingly for the rest of us, all too real for some in the front rows.
The Theatre Royal has a hit on its hands.
Cinderella runs until January 13. For tickets details call 0115 989 5555 or go to www.trch.co.uk.
