Britain's Got Talent finalist Paul Burling plays Buttons in Cinderella at Weymouth Pavilion from 19 December to 3 January. Tickets start at £22.

Paul Burling, the impressionist who reached the final of Britain’s Got Talent, plays Buttons in Cinderella at Weymouth Pavilion, which opens on Saturday 19 December and runs to Sunday 3 January 2027. Shows are between 2pm and 6pm depending on the day, and tickets start at £22.

Overview

  • Cinderella: Saturday 19 December to Sunday 3 January, with performance times varying between 2pm and 6pm. Tickets from £22.
  • Relaxed performance: Tuesday 29 December at 6pm, £21.
  • Adult Pantomime Cinderella (16+): Friday 1 and Saturday 2 January at 7.30pm, £25.
  • Box office: 01305 783225, or book online.

Who is in it

The pantomime is produced by Enchanted Entertainment, the company behind the Pavilion’s Jack and the Beanstalk, Peter Pan and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which the theatre calls “record-breaking”. The cast announcement lists:

  • Paul Burling as Buttons
  • Caitlin Garcia, from the current UK tour of Heathers the Musical, as Cinderella
  • Jamie Riding and Paul Lawrence-Thomas as the Ugly Sisters
  • Lewys Hynes as Prince Charming
  • Dan Badrick, from Summer Holiday the Musical, as Dandini
  • Rebecca Bailey as the Fairy Godmother
Cinderella in a pale blue ball gown and tiara beside Buttons in a purple uniform, in front of a Cinderella backdrop
Cinderella and Buttons in front of the show's backdrop. Photo: Paul Lawrence Clapp, supplied by Weymouth Pavilion

Burling has played in pantomime for more than 30 years, according to the theatre, and voiced Zippy and George from Rainbow and the characters of Count Duckula and Danger Mouse on national tours. Jamie Riding, who the Pavilion says is “Dorset born and bred” and trained at the Jellicoe Theatre at Bournemouth and Poole College, played Dame Trott in Enchanted Entertainment’s Jack and the Beanstalk. He returns this year “to take on a slightly different role” as one of the Ugly Sisters, in a wardrobe that includes the working costume collection of the late John Inman.

Real ponies on stage

Producer Guy Pascall said: “It’s going to be great fun for all the family. Cinderella is the most magical Christmas pantomime of them all with such wonderful characters as the horrible Ugly Sisters and of course Cinderella’s silly best friend Buttons. We also have real ponies in the show, which are going to look so amazing when the Fairy Godmother magically transports Cinders to the Ball being held by Prince Charming in her beautiful carriage.”

The Pavilion told us it is “the perfect festive treat for audiences this Christmas.”

Relaxed and adults-only shows

The relaxed performance on Tuesday 29 December at 6pm costs £21. The Pavilion’s listing says it has reduced sound, no strobe lighting or pyrotechnics, the house lights left on and the auditorium doors open throughout.

The adults-only version, for ages 16 and over, plays on New Year’s Day and Saturday 2 January at 7.30pm, with tickets at £25.

Other Christmas shows in the county, including Jack and the Beanstalk at the Tivoli in Wimborne, are on our Dorset pantomimes page.

Sources