The Riverfront in Newport presents its 20th year of pantomime and invites the audience to ‘let their hair down’ with the classic tale of Rapunzel! This is a great, bang up to date, version of the fairytale, with some fantastic song choices, hugely energetic dance routines and a super talented cast and ensemble.

I loved the use of the full stage area, including the side balconies to introduce Rapunzel’s parents, the king and the queen, and for our first view of Rapunzel herself. The set is impressive; the transitions between scenes are also particularly slick. I loved the village with its bright colours, the bottom of the tower and the internal of Rapunzel’s tower. There are some lovely touches, including a swing made of plaits for Rapunzel to sing ‘Unwritten’ on and at one point the evil Ceridwen bounds onto the stage from a trap door.

I really enjoyed the traditional mixed with the modern. There were so many 2025 trends in this pantomime, I could barely keep up! Of course, the ‘6, 7’ obsession makes an appearance, we have ‘Golden’ sung by Ceridwen and Gruff, Jet 2 Holidays gets an outing of its jingle and many more. There’s plenty of the traditional too, which are performed with precision and expertise. There was a great ‘ghost’ scene, but featuring a bear, and the songsheet also utilised the ‘bear’ theme and was led with aplomb by Muddles (Richard Ellis).

The cast are full of vigour and the joy of Christmas as they each hold the audience in the palm of their hands. I especially enjoyed Gareth Tempest as Dame Winnie Wiggins, though I must say, my favourite part was the rather unscripted section where his wig fell off! He is an hilarious dame though, exactly understanding the brief. Delivering inuendo that goes straight over little ones’ heads one minute, and bringing delightful family humour the next. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard as I did during the quick costume change for ‘Pink Pony Club’ which was a moment of pure panto magic.

The cast is brilliant all round, each bringing their own unique spin to the characters. I also thought the ensemble were excellent, including the children. The dancing was high quality and delivered with such passion and sheer enjoyment that it was a joy to behold. The children’s ensemble also held their own and it was nice to see them have a good deal of involvement with the plot.

In its 20th year of producing pantomime, it’s safe to say that The Riverfront continues to deliver pantomimes that are punchy, energetic, incredibly humorous, traditional yet with a distinct modern flavour. There’s definitely something for the whole family here, which means that everyone, no matter how young or old will have a fabulous time at the Newport pantomime!