Cinderella cast members Luke Attwood, Brandon Nicholson, Lisa George, Tobias Turley, Rachel Grundy and Jimmy Bryant
THE Grand Opera House pantomime cast has assembled for the first time in York to give a flavour of what lies in store in Cinderella this winter.
In attendance for the UK Productions press day were Rachel Grundy (Cinderella); Tobias Turley (Prince Charming); Lisa George (Fairy Godmother); Jimmy Bryant (Buttons); Yorkshireman Bradley Judge (Dandini), and Ugly Sisters double act Luke Attwood (Harmony Hard-Up) and Brandon Nicholson (Melody Hard-Up).
“I was here at the Grand Opera House in The Rocky Horror Show, though I’ve never been in York at Christmas, which I’m looking forward to,” says West End musical actress Rachel Grundy, who has appeared in such shows as Legally Blonde and Starlight Express.
“The first time I worked with UK Productions was the Legally Blonde UK tour. I’ve done pantomimes at Bath Theatre Royal, Blackpool Grand Theatre, New Brighton, Bournemouth and Basingstoke, where I did Cinderella.”
Tobias Turley, who came to fame on ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream, has appeared on the York stage previously in the Strictly Come Dancing Tour. “My first job out of drama school [at Doreen Bird College] was in Sleeping Beauty at Mansfield, but I haven’t come back to pantomime since then until now. That was four years ago,” he says.
“I’ve been very lucky working in theatre since being on telly, playing one of the Jets, Diesel, in West Side Story, appearing in Heathers and Mamma Mia! The Musical, then White Rose at the Marylebone Theatre and Hot Mess in the Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Fringe, which will be going in to the Southwark Playhouse Elephant for three weeks.”
Traditionally, Cinderella and Prince Charming are this pantomime’s straight roles. “You need that to keep the story flowing, with the story arc being continued throughout,” says Rachel. “You need those strong pillars.”
New addition: Leeds lad Bradley Judge, confirmed for Dandini role in Cinderella
Tobias adds; “The first time I did panto, I was thinking ‘I’m not getting laughs’, but you need both types in panto. They’re the fluff and we’re the plot – and what wonderful fluff they are!”
Neither Rachel or Toby will be heading home for Christmas Day. “My brother lives near Huddersfield,” she says. “I’ll be staying with a good friend of mine,” he says.
Coronation Street star Lisa George, whose sister lives in a village on the outskirts of York, is no stranger to pantomime, especially Cinderella. “This will be my fourth Cinderella,” she says. “I played Dandini with Jimmy Cricket, Suranne Jones and Linda Nolan at Tameside Hippodrome in 1997; Petunia Pumpkin [the Fairy Godmother role] at Oldham Coliseum in 2013; Fairy Godmother in Swindon, at the Wyvern Theatre, last Christmas, and now York.
“I’ve played Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington too. I love playing fairy! She’s just a lovely character and she’s ageless – though one day I’d love to see her in a pinny and rubber gloves!”
Actor and comedy performer Jimmy Bryant will be working in York for the first time. “Buttons is especially there for the children, as he’s the closest to them in his character,” he says. “Part of his role is to be their voice on stage; he does the most direct speaking to the audience. He’ll be their best friend.”
Buttons will be a contrasting role to his pantomime appearance last winter. “I usually play the funny chap who’s there to have loads of laughs and bring the audience with me, but last year I was the villain – a very stupid villain – at the Cheltenham Everyman, where I was Herr Kutte, a German villain, which was really fun to do as they wanted someone who wasn’t too scary.”
Bradley Judge, from Leeds, has appeared previously in pantoland in Aladdin in New Brighton and Jack And The Beanstalk in Mansfield and has done musicals aplenty since studying musical theatre at Guildford School of Acting. “The last big show I was in was Sister Act, which came to the Leeds Grand,” he says.
Lisa George: Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother
“For playing Dandini, I’ve not got the whole script yet, but from what I’ve seen he’s got a little comedy in his role, with a bit of a cheeky wit about him.”
West End drag double act and real-life partners Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson will bring Harmony and Melody to Cinderella in their York debut. “This is our seventh year together in pantomime,” says Luke. “I used to be a dancer in pantomime for many years. One year I auditioned for Ugly Sister at Wimborne, on my own to be paired with someone else, and then Brandon auditioned to be Dandini…
…”I didn’t want to wear women’s clothing!” interjects Brandon. “Then the director, Lee Redwood, said Brandon had auditioned for Dandini, and he suggested we should work together as Ugly Sisters,” says Luke.
“Since then we’ve built up a full set of costumes, stored in Brandon’s old bedroom at his mum and dad’s house.”
After playing such Strictly Come Dancing–rooted double acts as Tess and Claudia and Shirley and Darcey, Luke and Brandon will be adding Harmony and Melody Hard-Up to their repertoire. “It’s our first time with UK Productions,” says Brandon. “We saw their Cinderella in Blackpool and thought, ‘we want to be in that’!
“Anthony Williams [UK Productions’ executive pantomime director] came to see us in pantomime in Blackpool, and now we’re doing Cinderella in York. It’s the number one-selling pantomime, so it’s great to be in it this winter.”
UK Productions presents Cinderella at Grand Opera House, York, from December 6 to January 4 2026. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Cinderella stars Tobias Turley and Rachel Grundy