Cinderella

I had the pleasure of attending Golborne STADOS’s annual pantomime at Golborne High School this week and what a treat it was!  I am amazed at how far this society has come on professionally in a year.  This year’s production was slick, energetic, professional in approach and entertaining throughout!  Directed once again by Keith Wilde, Cinderella had everything for its audience.  There was just the right amount of fairy magic for the younger audience and the right amount of innuendo for the adults.  Visually it was brilliant!  The costumes were fantastic and really helped establish character and style.  The sets (backcloths) were effective in establishing locations and aiding slick scene changes.  The lighting was particularly brilliant too!  I loved the use of the movers, colours used and laser style effect that added layers to scenes.  The storyline was clear, the acting and singing was great and the essence of this genre really came across.  There was a lot of community spirit in both the audience and the vast cast of different ages.  This society is the backbone of this community and it was great to see so much support.  From having the young dancers, using the older children as the chorus and using the high school kids as the supporting cast, this bodes well for the future of this society.  Bringing the kids through the ranks and developing their skills is brilliant and I look forward to seeing what they do next.  Staging wise, this production was great.  An area to develop further are the transitions from scene to scene or from song to scene.  At times there was a bit of a lull or silence in between scenes which meant that each scene was separate to the other rather than one smooth transition.  I am also not a fan of characters going off stage together to the same location but using different exits – I’m being really picky here.  Overall, this pantomime was a great success!

The musical director for this production was Tom Loughlin.  Tom played the keys whilst his young female assistant played the drums.  Both were brilliant and were professional in approach and sympathetic to the singing; knowing when to play harder and softer.  This production also offered harmonies and light and shade to music and I was impressed with the standard of effort from the musical aspects – well done!

I rarely get to see dancing in pantomimes; usually seeing movement rather than dance routines.  I was delighted with the choreography in this production.  Choreographer, Carl Simm was able to showcase the talent amongst the cast and ensemble and treat the audience to a variety of styles.  The main dancers were great, and all of the large ensemble were used well and had their chance to shine. 

The costumes were excellent!  I particularly liked the costumes for the ugly sisters and the evil stepmother, but it was clear to see that a lot of hard work and effort went into all of the costumes to ensure that the style had continuity.  Despite there being only stage mics, the sound was great.  A few times the cast could not be heard but this was more down to the lack of projection; I could see that they were directed toward the mics.  The lighting, for me, was brilliant!  For such a small space and the lack of finances from this society they produced a show with a full-on lighting plot that used movers, laser style effect and follow spots.  Each of these helped add layers, create atmosphere and all of the hard work was noticed and appreciated. Scene changes were slick and very quiet, as was the footwork on the wooden floor – well done!

Prince Charming was played by Jessica Payne.  Jessica devoiced at the end of sentences and lacked a little energy in the first half, but this was completely gone in the second half.  Jessica had great storytelling in the second half and was able to showcase her lovely singing voice!  ‘I can’t fight this feeling’ was fab!  I also loved the dance duet with Cinderella which was very strong!

Prince Charming’s sidekick, Dandini was played by Ruby Glavin.  Ruby was a good storyteller and had a lovely rapport with Prince Charming.  I enjoyed the styling of these characters also.

The Fairy Godmother, Vicki Gray was played well and helped start the story and move it along.  I wasn’t a fan on the amount of glitter used on her face (that was missing from her arms and hands) but this didn’t distract from Vicki’s performance. 

The protagonist, Cinderella was well played by Bethan Littlewood.  Bethan had the right amount of sweetness that made the audience on her side from the beginning.  Bethan’s storytelling was also very good, and she was well cast in this role.  I loved her version of ‘I wanna dance with somebody’ which was beautifully played and sang.

Buttons was played by Emma Rothwell.  I loved Emma’s dry sense of humour and wit and she quickly got the audience involved from the beginning.  I personally would’ve preferred a little more slapstick and physical comedy, but this is just an observation.  Emma was great in this role and well-cast and I look forward to seeing her onstage again soon!

Melissa Richards (Squire) used her voice very well.  I loved her projection, articulation and line delivery.  Melissa also has good stage presence. 

The Baron and Baroness were played by Kevin Williams and Christopher Holding respectively.  Kevin had the confused and he-pecked Baron down to a T and Christopher was VERY strong as the (baddie) Baroness.  Christopher’s line delivery and storytelling were excellent, and he was VERY entertaining to watch.

The two ugly sisters were brilliantly played by Keith Wilde (Magnesia) and Liam Thompson (Prunela).  Their styling was great and was their rapport working with each other.  It is very important that both sisters work well, and it was clear that a lot of work has gone into developing this relationship.  Their choral speaking was brilliant!  Both were equally funny with great ad libs and comic timing!

The two comedy dimwit’s Horace and Horatio were played by Susan Halton and Bernard Holding.  Both were funny and loved by the supportive audience.  I was a little annoyed with Bernard at times because he kept devoicing and not projecting his ad libs because they were funny, and they often didn’t hit their mark.  Susan was very strong and very entertaining.  I have to say that both Bernard and Susan worked very well together and bounced off each other to entertain the audience.

I cannot end this review without mentioning the great youth ensemble, particularly the brilliant Evie Rothwell and her beautiful rendition of Hallelujah.  The young ensemble were VERY well rehearsed and great to watch! 

Overall, this pantomime was a massive success and very entertaining to watch.  It had the right amount of humour, the right amount of songs and scenes and visually it was great.  I wish Golborne STADOS all the very best for their next production and I thank them once again for their kind hospitality. 

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