Cinderella

Despite the bitter chill of this January evening, the Harlequin Pantomime Company brought warmth and vivacity to the stage on the opening night of their 2023 pantomime-Cinderella! It was fantastic to be invited along, for the challenges of recent years had prevented such performances from this company and, I couldn’t have been more warmly welcomed by the front of house management.

A well-designed set, appropriately well-lit on stage and a colourful backdrop set the mood for the story, with its title set in sparkling lettering on the curtains. In the opening scene we first met Alex Jeffreys, a solid performer, who sustained strong vocals throughout the evening in his role as Dandini. Abbie Sellick took the title role of Cinderella, giving a sweet whimsical portrayal of the downtrodden sister who rose to become a princess. Aided on her journey by a magical performance from the charismatic Anisah Hussain, (who played the Fairy Godmother), as Cinderella overcomes her mean sisters, Ant (Dave Callaghan), and Dec, (Paul Bowman).

Abbie gave a strong performance and her delightful singing voice brought emotion to the songs, her experience in musical theatre evident in her delivery. The audience seemed to appreciate her vocal talents. James Collins was well cast as the innocent, love struck and kindly Buttons and gave a particularly engaging performance establishing an instant rapport with the audience joining his best friend, Cinderella, on stage. He worked tirelessly to make the crowd respond to his banter and additionally showed off an impressive vocal range. Whilst he did his utmost to encourage audience participation with ‘Bostin Buttons’ with localised dialect there was limited response and the audience remained largely passive. This did not deter James and his lively performance remaining on stage buoyant and energetic.

David Ball played the role of Baron Hardup with a charm, adopting a relaxed persona as he grasped what seemed an impossible situation coping with his domineering, menacing wife and stepdaughters. Natalie Maynard did a magnificent job of bringing evil Lady Corona De Virus Hardup to life adopting a villainous stance and appropriate voice tone.

Providing the belly laughs were the endearing ugly sisters played with gusto and comic excellence by tall, ’Ant,’ and, ’Dec,” much shorter in stature. Appearing in zany costumes that were colourful and eccentric, Dave Callaghan and Paul Bowman were standout performers as the delightfully cruel ugly sisters, both witty and sharp in their physical and vocal delivery, successfully creating nasty but definitely funny villains, injecting the performance with well-timed humour.

Prince Charming was performed perfectly by Ellie Farmer. She made this role her own with a few routines that demonstrated her musical talents.

Congratulations must go to all the cast, those in key roles and those in supportive roles, including Mr Small played by Alf Rai; and Mandy Powell, as Major Domo. Special mention must go to Oliver Rudge, (Mr Big) who naturally oozes talent and confidence, and Dawn Corfield who was Camila, the pantomime horse.

Credit needs to be afforded to the dancers, a hardworking ensemble with numerous costume changes that made excellent use of the stage space and incorporated energy and expression into each dancing number, including a tap number! Lisa Farmer, choreographer, had clearly worked hard to ensure dance sequences were well rehearsed and slick.

Bringing a vital energy to the pantomime was the live band, a modest group of talented musicians under the direction of Rob Murray. The music was up tempo and the vocal skills of the performers was emphasised. The range of musical numbers impressive with some demanding songs.

Lighting was professional and the clever spotting on the clock to mark midnight was unique. Sound effects were effective and appropriate. Costumes were dazzling, bright , varied, inventive and appealing. There were magical moments too ,and this includes the scene when Cinderella appears in a sparkling carriage pulled by white ponies( dancers) just before the interval and the swift transition of Cinderella’s clothing from rags to a beautiful gown surrounded by dancers; most convincing.

The director, Alf Rai, had clearly captured the talents and skills of the performers and presented them with a vision and exacting detail in his direction. The impact of his work not only retold the classic fairy tale but included all the ingredients of a traditional pantomime which included slapstick, a good fairy, singalong, and a panto animal. It sustained audience engagement throughout, it was very visual, it was dynamic in parts and commendably maintained pace. There were 11 scenes and each scene change was swift, with stage hands rarely seen; most professional for no time was lost. The cast was flawless, there was a dependable mix of song and dance, spectacle as well as silliness. The best comedy came from the deliciously cruel step sisters and an engaging stage presence from Buttons. The cast had a great time and this enthusiasm rippled out to the audience.

Congratulations to all the cast and crew.

Thank you for inviting me.

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