THE magical tale of Cinderella will be dazzling audiences at Kidderminster Town Hall this Christmas.

Kidderminster's Michael Neri and the town council are behind the new pantomime, which aims to provide an alternative to the costly trips to big city theatres during the festive period.

An established director and producer who has brought shows to London's West End, Michael said: "I am thrilled to be bringing the magic of pantomime to Kidderminster.

"It’s a perfect time for all the family to get together and enjoy the holidays.

"We are completely transforming the town hall into a traditional pros arch theatre space - a huge undertaking - and we are filling it with some of the most talented actors who I’m pleased to say all originate from Worcestershire and the West Midlands."

Michael is a former student of King Charles School and owns the Talking Props Performing Arts Studios, based in Green Street.

Taking the staring role of Cinderella will be Lauren Soley, from Wolverhampton, who previously performed in Les Misérables international tour and in the West End.

Kidderminster Shuttle:

Joining her will be Richard Taylor as one half of the ugly sister duo. Richard is an established actor and is heavily involved with the Nonentities at The Rose Theatre.

The evil step mother will be played by Kate Taylor Marshall, also from the West Midlands, who has performed for Here To There Productions and Vamos Theatre.

The original story has been written by Joe Ashman, an actor most known for his role as Callum in Netflix original ‘Free Rein’.

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Joe said: "It’s a joy to be working with Michael and the town council on Cinderella.

"I spend a fair bit of time in Kidderminster and I’m so excited to be having my Christmas here this year.

"The show is set to be amazing and I’m very happy to be a part of it. Kidderminster is a town with such rich history, and we’re thrilled to be adding to that.”

Michael will be auditioning actors from all over the country at his Kidderminster studios but has also revealed he will be auditioning children from the area later this year to form the junior ensemble.

He said: "I’m beyond excited to be bringing one of my productions to my home town.

"Pantomime was my very first experience of theatre and I fell in love with it."

Town hall manager Matt Smith added: “We are thrilled to be working with the Cinderella team.

"We are extremely proud of our diverse venue here at Kidderminster Town Hall and we are excited to see the team transform it into a traditional theatre experience for the families of Wyre Forest.”

Cinderella will run from Monday, December 23 to Monday, December 30.

Tickets start at £16. Visit townhallpanto.co.uk for tickets and more information.