Cinderella
Written by Eric Potts
Directed by Christopher Dunham
At Richmond Theatre 9th December- 15th
All pantomimes are entrusted with an important duty, the children must love them. And love this production of Cinderella the children certainly did. Richmond Theatre is a very charming theatre, it is the ideal setting for a charming night out and Cinderella is a most charming pantomime. Poor little downtrodden Cinderella (Kellie Shirley) works tirelessly as the drudge in Hardup Hall. There is no money and, what little there is, is spent by the Baron (Robert Aldous) on the whims of his step-daughters, the ugly sisters Beatrice and Eugenie (Graham Hoadley and Paul Burnham). Seemingly, her only friend is Buttons (Gary Wilmot), but of course there is the Fairy Godmother (Jenny Eclair). Hoe many of us would love to have a fairy godmother! Cinderella's one hope of a better life is the Prince Charming (Elliot Harper) and due to a swap of personna with his assistant, Dandini (Ben Redfern) Cinderella does get to meet, fall in love with the Prince. He, as you would expect, falls in love with her. Now all it takes is for that touch of magic from the Fairy Godmother. A touch of magic it is, as the pumpkin, mice and lizards are turned into a most magical carriage.
It appears all little girls want to be a Cinderella, the tale has an endearing charm, although I do believe that early versions of the story by Charles Perrault in Mother Goose’s Fairy Tales (Contes de Ma Mere L’Oye -1697 the genesis of many a good pantomime, such as ‘Puss in Boots’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’) the Ugly Sisters cut off their toes in an attempt to fit into the glass slipper. The conflict and the tension are important parts of drama and are part of the reason why the stories are remembered.
The reason why pantomime is so important is that, these little children, captivated by the magic on stage, become captivated with drama and theatre and in turn will be the future generation of actors and technicians and audiences. So the character of Cinderella has to be played by a very strong performer. Here I have to admit is not someone I have come across before, I steer clear of Eastenders and Tim Lovejoy, but boy does she give a superb performance, strong characterisation, excellent singing and the audience all loved her. Gary Wilmot was also excellent as Buttons, the comic soup, around which the others build their performances. One such performance was from Ben Redfern as Dandini who was superb.
So if you looking for an pantomime to give you hope in such miserable times then look no further than this excellent production of ‘Cinderella’
Reviewed by Evan Rule
