Adrian Berry’s adaptation of Cinderella quite literally flips the traditional rags-to-riches tale on its head, with acrobatics, magic and circus skills aplenty. Cleverly playing on modern society’s obsession with reality TV, the show sees Cinderella (Stacha Hicks) arrive at St Augustine’s, a sort of Fame Academy for gifted children, where the evil Dr Kane (Gordon Warnecke) exploits the talents of his pupils for his own gain.

The terrible duo, Candy and Colin, razzle dazzle with their gravity-defying stunts and squeaky, incomprehensible language, leaving the timid Cinders feeling quite lost and talentless. But it is Victor (Christian Lee), a magical 11-year-old boy, who casts his spell over Cinderella, and most of the audience, with his comical Tommy Cooper-esque skit involving the old favourite handkerchief and plastic rose.

Both lost souls, in a world where fame and fortune is paramount, naively dream of “reading and learning about the world”, finding each other among the mayhem – that is until Victor is whisked away to represent Britain on Planet’s Got Talent.

The second half gathers more pace, with Cinderella getting trapped in the horrible reality TV land of Big Brother, Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity... as she goes in search of her true love Victor with the help of her fairy godmother, the loveable dotty Aunt Ella.

There are also more traditional panto elements, with more audience interaction, more twists, flips and twirls and more draft tricks. And watch out for the comedy Little Miss Sunshine moment as Cinderella rocks out to Prince’s Purple Rain – pure comedy genius.

Ultimately, while it took a while to be completely absorbed by Berry’s quirky panto, and I initially found the notion of two 11-year-olds falling in love a little uneasy, it was a joy to watch Christian and Stacha’s convincing childish portrayals of puppy love and the colourful costumes, likable characters, and charming story won over in the end. In essence, in a world where children dream of becoming ‘celebrities’, it’s refreshing to know it’s alright to be ordinary.

Cinderella runs at Jacksons Lane, Archway Road, Highgate, until Sunday, January 3. Tickets: 020 8341 4421, www.jacksonslane.org.uk (£9.50-£12.50)