Chrissie Bhima takes the title role in Cinderella, the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre's pantomime for this winter, with a new script by Joel Horwood and Robin Belfield directing. Here is everything you need to know before you book.
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has made its Christmas pantomime one of the fixed points of the West London year, and this winter the choice is Cinderella. It runs at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from Saturday 14 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with a company of nine, a script from the writer behind the theatre's 2016 Aladdin and a director making his first production for the house.
Who is starring in Cinderella?
Chrissie Bhima plays Cinderella. Ashh Blackwood is Buttons and Durone Stokes is Prince M. Charming, while Donna Berlin plays Suella.
Two of the company carry more than one part. Colin Burnicle plays both Muruduth and the Fairy Kween, and Lauryn Redding doubles as Mikayla and Dandini. Sameer Dhanjee, Ellie Seaton and Liza Stevenson complete the company as the ensemble.
Spotlight on Chrissie Bhima
Bhima trained at ArtsEd and has built a varied musical theatre career since. At the National Theatre she was Melanie in the original company of Roald Dahl's The Witches, and she also sang in the theatre's Up Next Gala. She played Sandy Cheeks in The SpongeBob Musical on its UK tour, Candy in Whistle Down the Wind at the Watermill Theatre and Ti Moune in Once on This Island, and she was part of the final company of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical as Alline Bullock and an Ikette. Abroad, she played Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly! at the Lido2 in Paris. A title role in a pantomime asks for a lot at once: a voice to carry the big numbers, the stamina for a seven-week run, and the warmth to make a family audience root for her from the first scene. Her credits suggest she has all three, and tickets for Cinderella are available for performances from 19 November.
What is Cinderella about?
The bones of the story are the ones Charles Perrault set down in 1697. A young woman kept at home to do the work of the household dreams of something better, a royal ball offers a way out, a little magic gets her there, and a lost slipper does the rest. Buttons is on hand as the loyal friend, and the Prince, here billed as Prince M. Charming, is the man who has to find her again.
Horwood's script is a new take on the fairy tale rather than a revival, and it comes in the full pantomime package: songs, slapstick, plenty for the grown-ups to laugh at over the children's heads, and the kind of surprise the Lyric's pantomimes have become known for. Artistic director Rachel O'Riordan has described it as "a joyful, hilarious and heartwarming celebration of community and festive cheer".
Who is behind the production?
Robin Belfield directs, in his first production for the Lyric. His earlier work includes Princess Essex and Anansi The Spider, the latter at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, which we covered in a review roundup. The script is by Joel Horwood, back at the Lyric a decade after his Aladdin; his other credits include the stage adaptation of The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
The set and costumes are designed by Janet Bird, with lighting by Sally Ferguson and sound by Holly Khan. Corin Buckeridge is the composer, Georgina Lamb choreographs and Ashton Moore is musical director. Casting is by Richard Johnston. The production is the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre's own.
When and where can I see it?
Cinderella runs at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, in Lyric Square off King Street, W6 0QL, from Saturday 14 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Press night is on Saturday 21 November 2026. Our listing gives the running time as two hours, including one interval, and recommends the show for ages six and up.
There are four access performances: a relaxed performance on Tuesday 1 December 2026 at 10am, an audio-described performance on Thursday 10 December at 7pm, a BSL-interpreted performance on Friday 11 December at 7pm and an open-captioned performance on Wednesday 16 December at 7pm.
Performances before Thursday 19 November 2026 have sold out. Tickets are available from 19 November on our Cinderella page, with prices starting at £12.
What else should I book if I like it?
- Matthew Bourne's Cinderella tells the same story without a word, in dance, at Sadler's Wells from 1 December 2026 to 17 January 2027.
- A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic is the other great London Christmas tradition, running until Saturday 9 January 2027.
- The Jungle Book fills the National Theatre's Olivier with another family story from Friday 13 November 2026 to Saturday 6 February 2027.
- The Snowman is the gentlest of the season's family shows, and a good first theatre trip for younger children.
