Stefanie Powers, Christopher Biggins, Matthew Kelly and Craig McLachlan head the cast of one of the U.K.'s biggest Christmas spectacles, Cinderella, The Musical Pantomime, opening at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre Dec. 9 (following previews from Dec. 5), for a run to Jan. 17, 2009.
Powers, who plays the Fairy Godmother, is making her British panto debut in the show, though she has previously appeared on the U.K. stage in the West End premiere of the musical Matador. She is still best known for her role as Jennifer Hart, wife and crime-fighting partner to Robert Wagner, on the 1980s TV series "Hart to Hart." She recently toured the U.S. in a production of The King and I.
Biggins, who plays Buttons, won ITV's "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" reality show in 2007. He has regularly appeared in pantos, and was seen as Baron Bomburst in the West End run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.
Kelly, who was seen as the Wicked Witch in last year's Mayflower production of The Wizard of Oz, returns this year as one of the Ugly Sisters, playing opposite his actor son Matthew Rixon as his sibling.
McLachlan, best known for his appearances on the Australian soap operas "Neighbours" and "Home and Away," has appeared in the West End in Grease and previously at the Mayflower in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and White Christmas.
The title role of Cinderella is played by Rachel Stanley, who also appeared at the Mayflower in White Christmas and was Truly Scrumptious in the 2008 tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
To book tickets contact the box office at 02380 711811 or visit www.mayflower.org.uk.
