Cinderella

There is nothing so heart-warming in the icy climates of December than a beautifully written, home grown pantomime, lovingly performed and clearly celebrated at the heart of the community. 

Written and directed by James Day and assisted by Jess Moore, this was a deliciously funny and colourful romp from beginning to end with some fabulous vocals and some very clever special effects. 

The show literally began with a bang as pyrotechnics heralded the arrival of Fairy Liquid on the tabs - a very charismatic Dame with an enviously stylish dress!

The curtains opened onto a rousing chorus of Wake Up it’s a Beautiful morning – nice choice of song and the chorus did a very nice job with it – good movement too. It’s always lovely to see the junior chorus stealing the scenes – there were some very lovely moments as the young players each had a moment – definitely some future principles in this chorus!

As Buttons burst onto the stage, the actor showed off his humour and experience (not least when he lost his lines with great style, making it that essential part of the show that panto audiences everywhere always love). 

There was an abundance of Dames as the Ugly Sisters took the stage, singing Sisters with great tone and gusto. The plot progressed as Cinderella entered, charming the audience with her lovely vocals and establishing that she didn’t really fancy Buttons.

We then get to meet the Prince and his rather fabulous equerry, Dandelion – a lovely performance and a great duet by both of Dancing in the Street.  As it becomes clear that the rotten sisters have every intention of thwarting any attempt Cinderella may make to go to the ball, Fairy Liquid comes to save the day – and how! 

I have not come across the song before but the audience were treated to a very enjoyable and beautifully executed Tonight Belongs To You, culminating into a magical transition from rags to designer wear for Cinderella – brilliant!

Act 2 opened with a great rendition of Celebration and the romp got faster and more furious as the Sisters jostled for the Prince’s affections – a special accolade here must be handed to MiseraBall for her ability to remain upright on the highest heels in Christendom! 

Not billed in the programme was an absolute treat when Buttons sang an adaption of Tiny Dancer – a lovely moment, it really enriched the show and was another great example of the creativity that was applied to the whole pantomime.  There was also the fabulous glass slipper moment - very creatively delivered and hugely entertaining. 

The backdrop for the Prince’s Castle was glorious and the sound effects and lighting were all very nicely done. 

There should be a special bouquet delivered to the costumiers for the wonderful shock of colour and life that the costumes contributed and especially the rags/riches dress for Cinderella – genius!!!

A note to consider – the cast’s vocals were very strong – all singers sang with confidence and tone – in a venue this size, the group might want to consider leaving out the mics – they do feed back and sometimes sabotage rather than enhance a performance. 

This was a great, creative and witty show – the love and work that went into it was apparent to all – 

Well done, guys!

Katie Jones

NODA Representative District 7 and 8

 

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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