The stars of a new production of Cinderella which opened at the Nottingham Theatre Royal on Friday night had hoped to be joined on stage by their regular team of ponies. But officials in Nottingham have banned the use of live animals in premises they control and so Cinderella's coach had to be brought on stage by two male members of the cast wearing horses' heads. Nick Thomas, the chairman of Qdos, Europe's largest pantomime producer, which runs the show, said: "The theatre is run by Nottingham City Council and they don't like live animals in the theatre. We have ponies all over the place in other parts of the country. I personally don't like to see Cinderella without ponies but it is just something we have to deal with."...
The ban on live animals is just the latest blow for pantomime companies battling against a tidal wave of political correctness and bureaucracy which they say is threatening the traditional British pantomime.
Other performers have revealed that some councils have banned the use of magnesium flashes which normally accompany the appearance of the fairy grandmother, and the use of water on stage.
Mindful of breaching health and safety rules some companies have started to throw marsh mellows rather than sweets into the audience.
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