Furter casting announced for Cinderella at Theatre Royal Plymouth

FURTHER CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR CINDERELLA

Theatre Royal Plymouth and Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, have announced further casting for this year’s spectacular production of Cinderella, running from Friday 04 December 2026 to Sunday 03 January 2027.

Musical theatre star Dianne Pilkington joins the cast as Baroness Hardup, alongside Charles Brunton and Stephen Guarino as the Ugly Sisters. The trio join previously announced pop icon and stage star Will Young as The Fairy Godfather, TV favourite and Hollywood correspondent Ross King as Buttons, Eve Shanu-Wilson as Cinderella, Michael O’Reilly as Prince Charming, and Daniel Norford as Dandini.

This casting completes a spectacular line-up of stage and screen talent, bringing together an ensemble of performers with credits spanning the West End, Broadway, national and international tours, television and film.

Dianne Pilkington has an extensive list of theatre credits spanning some of musical theatre’s most iconic roles. She has played the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, Glinda in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre, Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on national tour, and the title role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Victoria Palace. Her other credits include Only Fools and Horses at Theatre Royal Haymarket, Young Frankenstein at the Garrick Theatre, The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre, The Red Shoes with the RSC, and the world stage premiere of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Dianne has also appeared on screen in Wicked: For Good, Emmerdale, Holby City, Innocent and Les Misérables, and recorded original cast albums including Only Fools and Horses, Young Frankenstein and Taboo. She also released her debut solo album, Little Stories.

Charles Brunton has enjoyed an extraordinary career on stage and screen. He made his theatrical debut aged nine in Nine at the Royal Festival Hall, appearing opposite Jonathan Pryce, before going on to appear in the original 1994 cast of Oliver! at the London Palladium.  His extensive theatre credits include originating the lead role of Emelius Browne in the world premiere of Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks on UK tour and playing Miss Trunchbull in the RSC’s Matilda in the West End and on Broadway. Other credits include Love Never Dies, Beauty and the Beast, Chess, Nativity!, The Producers, The Rocky Horror Show, 101 Dalmatians, Miss Atomic Bomb, Scrooge, Top Hat and Thoroughly Modern Millie. On screen, Charles has appeared as Head Judge on Brillanti Musicals, as Mark in the award-winning feature film A Call to Spy for Netflix, and in productions including The South Bank Show, Hot Pursuits and The Royal Variety Performance. His soundtrack credits include Chess, Oliver!, Nine and 101 Dalmatians.

Stephen Guarino recently returned to the role of Ruth in the West End production of Titanique, which won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. He also made his pantomime debut as an Ugly Stepsister in Cinderella in Richmond, directed by Gary Wilmot. Stephen has starred in more than 60 television series in the US. His screen credits include Quincy in EastSiders, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Supporting Actor, as well as Happy Endings, Gen V, Bookie, Running Point, The Sex Lives of College Girls, I’m Dying Up Here, The Comeback, This Is Us, Kenan, The Goldbergs, 2 Broke Girls, Little America and Good Trouble. His animation credits include The Floridians, Dang!, Sofia the First and FireBuds, while his film credits include Confessions of a Shopaholic, the Bear City trilogy, Reagan and Nuked.

Stephen’s theatre credits include Off-Broadway productions of Around the World in 80 Days, The Nuclear Family, The Awesome 80s Prom and Title of Show. He trained at the NYC Public Theatre’s Shakespeare Lab and Florida State University, where he gained a BFA.

Join Cinders as she goes from rags to riches, outwits her very wicked sisters and meets her Prince Charming in this magical festive production.

The clock is ticking, so book your tickets now and join Cinders, her Fairy Godfather, Prince Charming, Buttons and the rest of the gang for a spectacular Christmas at Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Cinderella will play at Theatre Royal Plymouth from Friday 04 December 2026 to Sunday 03 January 2027. Tickets are available from https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/cinderella-2026/