Craig Revel Horwood, panto comic Neil Hurst, and singer, actor, and impressionist Christina Bianco led the star-studded cast for photos and a meet-and-greet with friends of the theatre, joined by cast members Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, Abigail Morris, Britt Lenting and May Tether
Leading the cast of this year’s family panto is Craig Revel Horwood as the Wicked Stepmother. Craig will be joined by panto comic Neil Hurst as Buttons, singer, actor, and impressionist Christina Bianco as the Fairy Godmother, Stephenson Ardern-Sodje as Prince Charming, Daniel Norford as Dandini, Abigail Morris as Cinderella and Britt Lenting and May Tether as the Wicked Sisters.
Craig Revel Horwood is a household name having appeared as a judge on all 22 series of the hit BBC One entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing. He also directs and appears in the annual Strictly Come Dancing Live Arena Tour, created the touring show Strictly Confidential and was Head Judge on Dancing with the Stars Australia and New Zealand.
Craig has also appeared in many West End musicals including Miss Saigon, Crazy for You and, after many years, returned to play Miss Hannigan in Annie, which he successfully toured around the UK twice, including the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. He has also starred in a variety of pantomimes for Crossroads Pantomimes with other roles including the Wicked Queen in Snow White and Captain Hook in Peter Pan.
Neil Hurst returns to the Theatre Royal after performing as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray! In November 2024. Best known for his TV roles in The Syndicate and Fresh Meat, Neil also co-hosted ITV’s All-Star Family Fortunes, The ABC Murders for the BBC and has appeared in family favourites such as Coronation Street, All Creatures Great and Small and Casualty. Neil has performed as the resident panto comic at Hull New Theatre for the past 5 years, as well as touring the UK in musicals such as The Full Monty and Hairspray!
Following her standout performance as the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat back in February, Christina Bianco returns to the Theatre Royal to play The Fairy Godmother in this year’s pantomime. A two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, Christina Bianco is an internationally acclaimed performer, best known for her vocal versatility and captivating stage presence. Her West End credits include Forbidden Broadway at the Vaudeville Theatre, Glinda in The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium, and Ado Annie in Oklahoma! at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. In New York, she earned Drama Desk nominations for Application Pending and Forbidden Broadway, and played leading roles in Rent, Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl in Paris. A viral sensation with over 25 million views of her ‘diva’ impressions, Christina has appeared on The Paul O’Grady Show, This Morning, and RuPaul’s Drag Race, and has performed her solo concerts to sold-out audiences across the globe.
The lineup is completed by a talented cast including Stephenson Ardern-Sodje (Prince Charming) who has just finished a run of The Lion King in the West End, Daniel Norford (Dandini) who has starred in pantomimes for Crossroads Pantomimes for several seasons, recent graduate Abigail Morris (Cinderella) and the fabulous Wicked Sisters are played by Britt Lenting and May Tether.
The production is staged by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer. Join Cinders as she goes from rags to riches, outwits her very wicked sisters and meets her Prince Charming.
Packed with all the traditional pantomime ingredients Nottingham audiences expect, Cinderella features laugh-out-loud comedy, stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses.
Cinderella runs from Friday 28 November 2025 – Sunday 4 January 2026 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. For more information on performance times and to book tickets, please visit www.trch.co.uk or call the box office on 0115 989 5555.
Photo credit: Whitefoot Photography
Photo: l-r Stephenson Ardern-Sodje (Prince Charming), May Tether (Wicked Sister), Abigail Morris (Cinderella), Neil Hurst (Buttons), Craig Revel Horwood (Wicked Stepmother), Christina Bianco (Fairy Godmother), and Britt Lenting (Wicked Sister).
Posted on 07 October 2025
