NOTHING says the countdown to Christmas is well and truly underway louder and prouder than the sugary glamour of panto season.

This time of year is all about spending time with friends and family, having fun and indulging in a healthy dose of nostalgia, and the opening night of Cinderella was the perfect way of achieving all of this.

From the very start the beaming and delightful Emma Nowell in the title role had the audience well and truly on her side with a bubbly performance and the singing voice of a Disney princess.

While Hi-de-HI’s Ruth Madoc raised many a cheer and the Ugly Sisters, Gaga and Gertie, were quite the villainous spectacle in a variety of outfits that looked like novelty toilet roll covers.

But the show was well and truly stolen by Jamie Rickers as Buttons the servant, who acted as ringleader, clown jester and master of ceremonies all rolled into one whirling dervish of ceaseless energy.

He also provided some fine moments of ad libbed hilarity - both for the audience and his fellow cast members who fought in vain to hold back the giggles.

There was a healthy dose of references to pop culture, jokes for all ages and oodles of audience participation.

It was also really nice to see a good amount of locals in the supporting cast, with the village children coming from Malvern’s Cecilia Hall Dance Centre and three of the villagers also hailing from the town.

If you want to act your shoe size rather than your age, you would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining way of doing it than taking a seat in the theatre and laughing until your face aches.