ST Helens Theatre Royal’s special offer for the final Cinderella pantomime performance proved to be a success as more than 400 tickets were given away.
Regal Entertainments introduced the Pay What You Can offer for the final showing of the Cinderella pantomime on Sunday, January 8, to ensure those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis don’t miss out.
The offer allowed spectators to secure a ticket for free, with an option to donate as much as they can afford to the Corporation Street venue upon arrival.
Theatre manager Chantelle Nolan said: "Regal Entertainments were absolutely blown away by the response to the offer. We were bracing ourselves for a bit of backlash from people who had purchased tickets, but the people of St Helens really understood where we were coming from in trying to offer a lifeline to those most in need.
"There were hundreds of comments of support and understanding on all of our social media pages - which really warmed our hearts.
"The demand was off the chart, but we gave away over 400 tickets for the final performance of Cinderella.
"The energy in the audience was electric – people were commenting on how grateful they were to be able to join us."
The Cinderella pantomime, featuring an all-star cast including Coronation Street actor Kimberly Hart-Simpson and Britain’s Got Talent performers, St Helens own Jamie Leahey and puppet Chuck, and 2020 winner, comedian and musician Jon Courtenay, was well received by a sell-out audience throughout December.
The final performance of the panto took place on Sunday, with further big names headed to St Helens Theatre Royal throughout 2023.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here