Panto season arrived once again at the Manor Pavilion Theatre when Sidmouth Amateur Dramatic Society put on Cinderella, directed by Elizabeth Hammond.

Well, what a really enjoyable evening - plenty of fun and laughter and, of course, the audience participated in the jokes and banter, which all went down well.

The scenery was well constructed and painted to a very high standard and the scenery changes were slick.

The orchestra felt well balanced throughout the performance, not too loud. All the dialogue and singing was clearly heard.

Cinderella was played by Leonie Elizabeth Motler and a perfect Cinderella she was, too. A strong singing voice was delightful and she sounded at ease.

Buttons was played by Leigh Steadman; this was my first time seeing him in panto, and it was nice to see him in a lighter-hearted production. He was very good at getting the children and audience to participate in the fun and action. A magic buttons!

Carrying on with the fun and laughter, we were entertained by Gertrude and Grizelda, Graham Liverton and Barry Lister.

The adlibbing and jokes went down a storm with an enthusiastic audience.

Costumes, wigs and make-up were all excellent with plenty of colour.

Prince Charming was played by Jake Burlow, who was very charming indeed. He and Cinderella sounded fantastic together. A great job was done interacting with the audience.

During the scene changes, Bodget (Richard Pinney) and Leggett (Guy Hilliar) kept us well entertained with lots of panto humour.

Act one was full of entertainment followed by a short interval.

Act two had Buttons helping children up on the stage for the customary sing-song helped along by the audience, leading up to the finale, which was well thought through and enjoyed by all.

The chorus and dancers supported the principals excellently with their many costume changes. Brilliant!

Margaret Whilden