Cinderella

SPADS have built up a great reputation for their annual Christmas Pantomime and this year was no exception with an energy packed ‘Cinderella’ which was clearly being enjoyed by cast and audience alike on the early evening performance I attended.

The enthusiasm, comic timing and energy of the performances from the entire company, be they Principal or Chorus was very evident and this spilled over into the captivated audience of mostly school age children.

The choreography by Annabel Clarke, as always, gave the cast plenty to learn and plenty of opportunities to display their talents, which indeed they did, with superb musical direction and vocal coaching from Andy Hardy.  ‘Shut Up and Dance with Me’ was certainly a highlight in the performance. Music chosen for the production was a good variety of modern and traditional and I enjoyed the combination very much. The balance of band to cast was very good and not once did I feel that the band were too loud. Well Done.

Every pantomime needs a good villain or two and in Baroness Hardup (Theresa Millar) and ‘ugly sisters’ Hayleytosis (Peter Wright) and Gingivitis (Kanyin Jolasosho), we had just the right balance of ‘evil’ and comedic timing which the children in the audience – be they 5, 55 or 85 all enjoyed. 

The principal boy roles were expertly handled by Jacob Powell (Dandini) and Jordan Clarke (Prince Charming) both in terms of vocal performance and movement/acting. Jacob Powell seemed to have a never-ending supply of infectious energy which I couldn’t help but smile at every time he appeared.

Jordan was the perfect match for Molly both visually and vocally and the dialogue between then was very convincing. Pure panto.

Molly Hughes (Cinderella) and Josh Clarke (Buttons) provided almost effortless performances throughout with every girl in the audience wanting to be a princess just like Cinderella.  Josh provided great energy throughout and only occasionally dropped slightly out of character when leading the audience participation sections in the second half. Gags were handled well giving the audience time to think!!!!!

Narration throughout the performance was provided by Eden Stewart (Fairy Godmother) who delivered the ‘rhyming couplets’ well. Presentation was good but slow delivery down a little so that we can really enjoy the spoken word.  Eden brought the “traditional” Fairy Godmother up to date. She had attitude and for me it worked. 

The other cast members Alan Reilly (Baron Hardup), Daisy Levett (Alice) and Noah Clarke (Town Crier) provided very able support to the action as did the Adult Chorus.

The production values in lighting design, sound balance, set design, coupled with appropriate costumes, quality writing and obvious attention to detail from the production team, resulted in a production which I am sure will have delighted audiences at every performance.

Many thanks for a very enjoyable afternoon and I look forward to seeing you again in 2017.

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