Cinderella

Cinderella is probably one of the most popular Pantomimes out there, and when you consider the characters and story, it`s easy to see why. Usually in Pantoland, you`ll have one baddie who you love to hate, with Cinderella, you have two…. Or if you`re lucky enough, three- as there were in the version I went to see, written by Peter Long and Keith Rawnsley. Not only did we have the (very) Ugly Sisters, we had the Baroness too.

So, with ten (going on forty) year old niece in tow off we went to Harduppe Hall to see what it was all about.

 Setting the scene was the Fairy Godmother, played by Carole Leech- great diction and great sense of fun throughout-every inch the perfect Fairy Godmother. Reminding us throughout that she, and we, were there to ensure Cinderella`s happiness. Though my niece did point out that when disguised as an old woman, you could see her diamond tiara, dangly diamond earrings and (in her words) perfectly coifferred permed hairdo.

 Adam Atkinson performed confidently as Buttons, you could tell he was enjoying playing the role, working well with the audience, and in his interactions onstage. The children loved it when he was trying to express to Cinderella, delightfully played by Kim Little.

 From then on it was a parade of couples with dialogue interspersed with singing and dancing, which never let up until the end.Everybody played their parts well throughout.

Prince Charming and Dandini (Nicky Diggle and Helen Day) made the most of their time together.

The Baron and Baroness Harduppe (Peter Buckley and Denise King)  were perfect foils for each other, Peter the downtrodden Baron in fear of his step daughters and Denise as the Baroness- the true villain of this pantomime, reveling in the boos and jeers from the children.

Sue Little and Steve Thompson took on the Laurel and Hardy type roles of Pewer and Simpal- trying to do the right thing, but inevitably getting it all wrong. King William and Queen Kate (Mark Callaghan and Elisabeth Greaves) giving a truly snobbish performance, despairing (initially) at Prince Charming`s love for a servant girl.

Last, but by no means least, the ugly sisters- Begonia and Wisteria, played by Mark Johnson and Bob Needham. Mark and Bob bounced off each other (quite literally) well throughout the production, getting the children in the audience to hate them and boo them whenever they came on, although in some scenes, when building up through an argument “got a little bit shouty”, as my niece described it, and sometimes the words got a little lost.

Chorus numbers, both dancing and singing were well drilled and executed, and it was nice to see most of the chorus singing the words.

 I have to say, that with this re-telling of the story, there are so many characters thrown in, so many throw away lines, it`s easy to get lost as to “where you are” with it, as they never really get their chance to engage fully with the audience or the chorus- this is just my observation, but I also thought the same a few years ago when I first read it. My niece enjoyed it, though thought it “very long” . Most Panto`s these days seem to be down to an hour each act, whilst still being the same script, they cut down the songs to a couple of verses rather than the whole song.

 Setting was the usual panto fair of cloths and props interspersed with the odd flat added for good measure. Although I never usually comment on the cloths, I must say, some of these from Border Studios were magnificent. The staircase in the backdrop for Harduppe Manor was so detailed and realistic, I initially wondered why they didn`t use the staircase as an entrance- these were also commented on by another local Stage Manager/ Producer who happened to be seated next to me.

 As mentioned before, the chorus were well drilled in their musical numbers. Choreographer, Alex Mattinson must be proud of what she achieved with this show.

 Orchestra, in the capable hands of Paul Bryden sounded excellent- must say, I always prefer to hear/see an orchestra at productions, and it`s good to see that a traditional pantomime group still continue to use one- what a difference it makes to a production.

 Sue Little as Director, should be really pleased with what she has accomplished with this group. Well done.

Thank you, Ulverston Pantomime Society, for your Invitation and hospitality.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.