Cinderella

Cinderella may be the most popular pantomime of all time and to this day enjoyed by audiences up and down the country year after year.

Therefore, when Coleshill Operatic Society decided to deviate from their regular choice of show I am sure it was a wise choice to select this title. What is remarkable is that the society has gone 110 years without a pantomime to their name.

It maybe then with some trepidation they made this bold move, but they need not have feared for this pantomime contained all the necessary ingredients vital to ensure a great piece of entertainment.

Coleshill Town Hall was packed with audience members of all ages all of whom seemed to be determined to have an enjoyable evening and were most certainly responsive especially booing the baddies, responding to Buttons and affection for Cinderella.

It was my first time at Coleshill Town Hall and what soon became evident was the relatively small stage the cast had at their disposal and that included the thrust stage built in front of the main curtain. As a result, cast members at time used the auditorium as an entrance which worked well and enabled further audience participation.

With a large cast it is not possible to name everyone involved on stage however everyone seemed to be enjoying performing to the appreciative audience.

With rhyming central to the role was Joyce Eyre as Fairy Godmother. On each use of the pyrotechnics when Fairy Godmother made an entrance the audience called out with a massive ‘wow and ‘Fairy G’ most certainly won their hearts.

The role of Buttons was in the safe hands with Tom Willson who also directed the production. At times corpsing with some of the humour such as the antics of the pantomime horse and the kitchen scene with Cinderella this made the character even more likeable. He had a great rapport with the audience. The pantomime horse – Bright Eyes (Clare Willson and Rachel Evans) was amusing to watch as he encouraged Buttons to seek ‘a date’ with Cinderella.

The sisters were exceptionally well played by Kelvin McArdle as Chardonnay and Lloyd Cast as Shiraz. They were a delight to watch and had both amazing energy and the ability to work the audience well while being beastly to Cinderella.

Jack Deakin was probably the most flamboyant Dandini I have seen and was great. Molly Bennett as Prince Charming and Lucia Owen-Small as Cinderella were ideally cast together. Molly and Lucia sang their songs together with tenderness and feeling.

Natalie Bracher was booed every time she appeared as the wicked step mother – Lady Develia and clearly enjoyed being unliked!!

Other characters Peter Slater as Snitch, Jeff Martin as Snatch, John Kerr as Baron Hard Up and Robert Dutton as Major Domo made up the principal line up and completed the story we saw brought to life.

The villagers danced and sang well together including the younger members of the cast so well done to you all.

The costumes were of a good standard especially those made by Joyce Eyre for the ugly sisters. I particularly liked the dressing gowns made of bath towels and the school girl costumes.

The projected art work was of a good standard and worked well enhancing the sets. The artwork also worked well both setting the scene before act one and during the interval. The lighting was well thought out especially on revealing the stage coach to take Cinders to the ball.

The band consisting of just three musicians worked well and more importantly sounded good.     

Some cast members had radio microphones which ensured they were heard (unless the audience were extremely loud at the time). Others however were either not wearing them or experienced some technical issues as the projection was not always clear. This however was a minor distraction.

Overall this was a good quality pantomime. It was very well received by the audience who I am sure hope they don’t have to wait a further 110 years before Coleshill Operatic Society produce their next pantomime. I for one hope to be able to cheer the goodies and boo the baddies again in the future.

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