Cinderella

It was good to see an almost full house for the last performance of this production all waiting with eager anticipation for the show to begin.

With a lovely mix of adults and youngsters in the cast the opening number Happy certainly set the tone for the fun to come, and all the usual well-loved panto traditions were there encouraging lots of audience participation, much to everyone’s delight especially “it’s behind you!”

Baron Hardhup was gently portrayed but really didn’t stand a chance against his opposite number, an extremely acerbic Baroness, who did well to step into the role with just weeks to spare.

The two Uglies Gertrude and Grizelda were both as to be expected most unattractive to everyone except themselves and their blinkered Mama and left no doubt to the audience that they really were “blokes in frocks”! At times there was some fumbling for lines but with panto this can often be part of the fun.

The “desperate duo” Bodget and Leggett were exceedingly work weary, Chambers was most definitely in command during his short appearances on stage conveying a distinct expression of having seen it all before, and the endearing Fairy Godmother made it all come good in the end.

It was a clever nod to the times to have a “one-man” Hagan the Horse, referenced in the dialogue because of social distancing, who neighed admirably and performed some nifty “hoof work”!

Keeping with tradition and making an attractive Prince Charming it was good to see a young lady as Principal Boy and nicely accompanied by a young man, showing promising stage presence with good reactions, in the role of Dandini - both youngsters were new to the company and did very well for their stage debuts.

Completing the main cast two more youngsters brought their experience to the stage. Cinderella gave a confident and well sung performance, while the young man playing Buttons simply held everything together and had the audience on his side right from the word go! 

The simple scenery was enhanced by some effective lighting, a good forest back-drop gave the Junior Chorus a moment to shine as baby animals, joining the audience for Act II after the Interval, and the small Adult Chorus showed committed support.

Costumes throughout were colourful and for the most part suitable for the production, although the choice of a beige suit and tie for Buttons in the Ballroom scene did seem a touch incongruous but this could have been down to personal choice.

There was plenty of music and singing throughout, with a topical nod to both “Bake Off” and “Strictly”. Some underscoring could have been useful on occasion particularly in the “Ghost” scene but “When You Wish Upon a Star” was especially memorable and made a good ending to Act I.

As usual with scripts by this author there was a strong storyline with the action written to flow smoothly from scene to scene.  At times the pace needed to go up a gear but certainly The Players deserve to be congratulated for pulling a production together in challenging circumstances, and one which was very warmly received – oh yes it was!

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what they see at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that their assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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