Cinderella

Pantomime can be a very hard art form to get right, especially for amateur groups, and this is possibly why many societies don’t tackle them. Cinderella is a well-known tale that is often given the panto treatment, so I was interested to see what Blackmore had in store.

The production was a good looking one, with impressive set (made by members of the group) and nice costumes. These are things I know Blackmore Players will always deliver. There was a relatively small chorus and they struggled a little in places to give off quite enough energy and expression, but they made a good sound considering the small number.

The two Ugly Sisters were named Beryl and Cheryl and of the two, Beryl was the more “traditional” dame. A high-pitched voice that reminded me of Little Britain’s classic “I’m a lady!” sketch and fabulous eyelashes, Keith Goody seemed to be relishing the part. Cheryl was played by Rhys Burrell and was the more butch of the two, complete with beard, which did make his character funny. Despite being pretty hairy up top, he’d shaved off all the hair on his legs for one particular scene, which I thought showed great commitment to the part!

Cinderella herself was played by Becky Hunt and she had a pleasant voice which held good harmonies. Playing opposite her as Prince Charming was Samuel Haskell and I must commend him for being the stand-out actor in the show. His performance could have been plucked straight from a professional panto; he’d perfected the posh accent, the swagger and also had a great voice. Well done to him for lighting up the stage whenever he entered.

All good pantos have a Fairy Godmother and this one was played by Rosemarie Nelson, with a young sidekick “Sprite” played by Ruby Stephens, who looked beautiful. They didn’t have much stage time but Rosemarie had a lot of dialogue to remember in one go, which she did well. Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Baroness Hardup, was played by Linda Raymond and although she looked the part, complete with crazy wig, she got a little lost with some of her lines at times and I think the characterisation could have been much more over the top.

Becky Smith took on the role of Prince Charming’s servant Dandini and she was good. She delivered her lines very clearly throughout and was pleasant to watch. And the faithful Buttons, a staple in any Cinderella, was portrayed by Adam Smith, who played the part very sweetly.

I appreciated that the choreographer, Rhona Maclure, made sure every person on stage had moves to do and gave those older cast members nearer the back of some songs more simple moves that complimented what was going on at the front. One particular gent with a moustache, who made a cameo as a camp ballet teacher, was very funny and stood out in many of the chorus scenes as, what I would call, “loving life”!

Unfortunately there were some technical issues that need pointing out, such as a microphone being left on backstage, which happened during the last Blackmore production I saw. It was left on for some time and I couldn’t work out why the people on the sound desk weren’t turning it off. As this is a persistent issue, I think it really does need to be addressed. The band were good and obviously enjoying the performance but the drums weren’t screened, which in a tiny hall such as Blackmore means they can be a little overpowering.

Finally, the show was brought to life with the use of pyrotechnics, which went off several times throughout the performance when the Fairy Godmother appeared. These looked great and obviously add a level of professionalism to a show bad sadly for the Players, it meant that the sensitive fire alarm in the hall went off not once but twice. Not only did this disrupt the show but it meant all doors had to be flung open making it a little colder than I would’ve liked! It was mentioned that this had also happened during the dress rehearsal, which I think should have indicated this was perhaps a plan that was best to abandon.

To come full circle, I’ll reiterate that panto is a hard thing to get right. The cast, including the ensemble, have to be very over-the-top to make you believe in the ridiculousness of what’s happening, and I do think some of these elements were missing in Blackmore’s production. But it was a valiant effort from the group, and I’m sure they all had a blast.

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