Cinderella reveals full cast for huge London Christmas panto
Cinderella reveals its full 2026 Lyric Hammersmith cast as Chrissie Bhima leads the huge London Christmas pantomime.
Cinderella is heading to London this Christmas with a brand new cast as the Lyric Hammersmith prepares to bring its annual pantomime back for another festive season. The full company for the 2026 production has now been announced, with Chrissie Bhima taking the title role of Cinderella.
She will be joined by Ashh Blackwood as Buttons, Donna Berlin as Suella, Colin Burnicle as Muruduth and Fairy Kween, Lauryn Redding as Mikayla and Dandini, and Durone Stokes as Prince M. Charming. Sameer Dhanjee, Ellie Seaton and Liza Stevenson complete the ensemble for this year's production.
The new Cinderella will run at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in West London from November 14, 2026 until January 3, 2027, taking the production through Christmas and into the New Year. The run follows the Lyric's long tradition of putting its own contemporary spin on classic pantomime stories rather than simply reproducing the familiar fairy tale.
This version has been written by Joel Horwood, whose credits include The Ocean at the End of the Lane and I Want My Hat Back. It also brings Joel back to the Lyric pantomime after he previously wrote the theatre's production of Aladdin in 2016, while Robin Belfield will direct Cinderella in his Lyric debut.
The creative team also includes set and costume designer Janet Bird, composer Corin Buckeridge, choreographer Georgina Lamb and musical director Ashton Moore. Together they will bring to life a new version of Cinderella's story featuring original music, comedy and the big theatrical moments audiences expect from a Christmas panto.
This time, Cinderella is living in a crumbling castle under the control of Suella and her misguided sisters when news spreads across the kingdom that Prince M. Charming needs to find a wife before midnight. A chance encounter and some fairy magic soon put Cinderella on a very different path, with a certain pair of glass slippers also playing their familiar part as the clock begins counting down.
The production has a running time of around two hours including an interval and carries age guidance of six and over. Tickets are already on sale for performances at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, with the Christmas run beginning on November 14 and continuing until January 3.
