Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is celebrating the huge success of Surinderella, a co-production with Rifco Theatre, which has broken Rifco’s record for ticket sales for a week-long show in its 25-year history.

The desi pantomime, which opens at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on 23 September, has sold over 5,000 tickets to date, with ticket sales continuing to top Box Office reports in the days leading up to the world premiere next week.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is a proud co-producer of Surinderella, ardently championing diversity and inclusivity, continuously striving to reach everyone in the local community through the magic of theatre. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre’s creative vision has recently given emphasis to collaboration and co-creation, re-establishing the theatre’s history of producing quality in-house productions for the people of Wolverhampton and beyond, with Surinderella paving the way for an exciting future of new theatrical work created at the Grand Theatre.

Strong ticket sales can be credited to many factors, least not the tireless work of the Grand’s South Asian Audience Development Ambassadors, which spans eight years. Bespoke communication has been key, and the group of Ambassadors work to make the Grand Theatre accessible to all, opening the doors to those who have historically felt that the theatre is not a place for them and their communities.

The work to drive new audiences into the Grand Theatre has resulted in an ever-increasing audience figure over 5,000 for next weeks’ performances of Surinderella, with 52% attending the Grand for the very first time.

Vicky Price, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre’s Director of Audiences said; “Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is a predominately receiving theatre. This means we can showcase the best of the West End, Broadway and beyond on our stage and that drives hundreds of thousands of people into the city every year. Whilst these shows are incredibly popular, we realise that to appeal to all members of our community, our cultural offering must reflect all cultures of the people in and around Wolverhampton. When the product is not there, we must produce the work ourselves. The figures speak for themselves considering we are about to welcome over 52% of next week’s audience to the Grand for their first visit. We are passionate about being a theatre for all, where everyone is welcome and trust that our new audiences will find that the Grand is a place for all to enjoy.”

Pravesh Kumar, Rifco Theatre’s Artistic Director and the writer of Surinderella, said: “Surinderella has been close to my heart for years - born from a deep love of authentic British South Asian stories and a belief that our stages should reflect the communities they serve. We’re so proud of this talented, dynamic cast who truly bring the show to life. With its bold Desi twist on a classic panto,Surinderella celebrates working-class voices, cultural pride, and the power of self-discovery. The phenomenal response and record-breaking pre-sales show there’s a real hunger for stories that celebrate us all. It’s been a joy to see the show resonate so widely, and I can’t wait for people to meet Surinder and her crew."

Leading the cast is Sonya Venugopal as Surinder, whose credits include Rani in the Broadway production of Life Of Pi. Sonya was also alternate Pi in the UK & International tours. Joining her is Rory Dulku as Prince Kavi, alongside Bhavini Manoj Sheth as the enchanting Devi Godmother and Dhruv Ravi as Kavi’s right hand man Babloo. The selfie-obsessed, Insta-vlogging stepsisters Lovely and Bubbly will be played by Neil Varu and Raheem Payne, whilst Leela Kapil and Natasha Bacarese-Hamilton will share the role of Basanti the cow, Surinder’s best friend. Ensemble members will be played by Kuldeep Goswami and Kiran Kaanan.

Tickets for Surinderella are now available at grandtheatre.co.uk.