Oh Yes he is!

Cinderella

Nottingham Theatre Royal

Friday 28 November 2025 – Sunday 4 January 2026

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.

Neil Hurst

as Buttons

Neil began his career as a song and dance act touring the country in comedy and variety showsand supporting comedy legends such as Bruce Forsyth, Bob Monkhouse, Michael Barrymore, Jimmy Tarbuck, Ken Dodd and Cannon and Ball.

In 2025, Neil played Edna Turnblad in the acclaimed tour of Hairspray. He then worked with JJ Abrams on the feature film Ghostwriter. Most recently he was a Prankster on the CBBC series, Gladiators: Epic Pranks.

As well as starring in many pantos, Neil has also worked extensively in theatre in shows such as The Full Monty (UK tour), Fat Friends The Musical (world premier and UK tour), Early Doors Live (UK arena tour), Early Doors: One More Chance at The Lowry Theatre, The Jungle Book The Musical at Oldham Coliseum, Bouncers, Two, The Last Five Years, Me and My Girl and Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Neil’s feature film credits include The Railway Children Return, Tomorrow Morning and The ABC Murders. His television roles include All Creatures Great and Small, Brassic, Casualty, Coronation Street, Ackley Bridge, Home from Home, Doctors, The Syndicate, Moving On, Fresh Meat, Andy and the Band, Biff and Chip and 4 O’Clock Club. Neil enjoys working in television comedy and that has included a recurring role on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, working alongside Michael to set up his unexpected star of the show, Player Pranks, All Star Family Fortunes as Vernon Kay’s comedy sidekick and a US TV pilot, Hopping the Pond.

Neil is delighted to be here this festive season for his first year entertaining Nottingham audiences.

CHRISTINA BIANCO Fairy Godmother

A two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, Bianco made her West End debut in Forbidden Broadway at the Vaudeville Theatre and most recently starred as The Narrator in the official UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Other West End credits include Ado Annie in the 80th anniversary concert production of Oklahoma! at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Glinda in The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium. Her New York credits include Forbidden Broadway (Drama Desk Award nomination), Application Pending (Drama Desk Award nomination), The Marvelous Wonderettes, It Must Be Him, and Newsical the Musical. Other notable credits include Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly! (Indianapolis Symphony), Maureen in Rent (Weston Playhouse), Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (Théâtre Marigny, Paris, winner of Les Trophées de la Comédie Musicale) and LV in the 30th anniversary UK tour of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

Her television credits include ITV’s The Imitation Game, POP TV’s sitcom Impress Me, Hallmark’s

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and frequent voice work for RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Bianco captured international acclaim as a YouTube sensation with her ‘diva’ impression videos gaining over 25 million views. She has performed on television programs such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, The Paul O’Grady Show and This Morning.

Christina has performed her critically acclaimed concerts to sold out crowds around the world, including two UK tours and extended runs in London (Charing Cross Theatre, Menier Chocolate Factory), Spain, South Africa, and Australia (Sydney Opera House).

She frequently tours with major US and Canadian symphonies and performs her solo symphony show under the direction of renowned maestro Jack Everly. Her live album, Life of the Party, is available on iTunes and all major streaming platforms.