Strictly champion Joanne Clifton and CBeebies star Andy Day to lead the cast of Royal & Derngate’s pantomime Cinderella
Strictly champion and musical theatre star Joanne Clifton and CBeebies favourite Andy Day will head up the cast for this year’s spectacular Christmas pantomime Cinderella at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate.
Rising to fame as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, where she lifted the glitterball with her celebrity partner Ore Oduba in 2016, the world champion ballroom dancer Joanne Clifton has more recently been seen in top musical theatre productions, including The Addams Family, The Rocky Horror Show and Flashdance. Currently touring as Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical, Joanne will be casting her magic as the Fairy Godmother this Christmas.
Taking the role of Dandini is one of CBeebies’ most popular personalities, Andy Day. His many shows for the channel include the BAFTA-nominated Andy’s Wild Adventures and Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures, and he even has his own pop band Andy and the Oddsocks. He has appeared for many years in CBeebies’ annual televised pantomime in addition to starring in panto at theatres around the country.
Joining the cast as Ugly Sisters are Gordon Cooper and Matt Daines, both seasoned pantomime performers, most recently appearing together at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil last Christmas.
Building on the success of last year’s smash hit Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 2022’s Jack and the Beanstalk, Royal & Derngate are pleased to be continuing their partnership with award-winning pantomime producers Evolution Productions. A family business, run by husband and wife Paul Hendy and Emily Wood, Evolution are four-time winners of Pantomime of The Year in the Great British Pantomime Awards.
Jo Gordon, Chief Executive at Royal & Derngate, said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce such a brilliant cast, and look forward welcoming audiences into the theatre for what promises to be a fantastic festive outing. Christmas is such a special time of year, and it’s always a joy to see so many children introduced to the magic of theatre for the very first time.
“For me as a mum, Andy Day was a firm fixture in my house for many years, bringing such joy to my two kids. So to see him bring his bags of fun and skill to the stage alongside Joanne, who continues to wow people across the country with her musical theatre performances, will be such a treat.”
Cinderella will run from Friday 6 to Tuesday 31 December 2024. For more information and to book tickets, go to http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call Box Office on 01604 624811.
