Cinderella

Well I honestly can not tell who enjoyed this pantomime more the cast or the audience. However, I can
say without hesitation that it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The story of Cinderella is a tale as old
as time yet still is a popular, well loved classic and Malton and Norton Musical Theatre really shone a
bright light on it to make it sparkle and shine once more. The cast, the crew, the staging, the tech, the
band, all beautifully created and involved to create a hilarious and wonderful mixture. The musical
elements were very well rehearsed and Chris Nocking the Musical Director should be pleased with what
he has created.
I am always in awe of directors that can manage to direct a show so brilliantly and perform in it with such
enthusiasm and this show didn’t just have one. Rory Queen and Mark Boler must have worked tirelessly
to put together this show and create the atmosphere that was created. Their performance as the two
Dames Gertrude and Grizelda was simply fabulous. They weren’t scared to make jokes about
themselves and others and if necessary, ad lib to enhance the performance. They provided moments for
all the cast to shine and the smiles across the faces of the entire cast was infectious. This was noticed
with Lisa Sutherlands version of the Baroness. Lisa worked so well with Rory and Mark and didn’t sway
from her character once.
It was really nice to see such a diverse age of cast. Everyone from principals to chorus really put in their
all. The dynamic duo of Evie Bates as Dandini and Evie-Mae Dale as Prince Charming was lovely both
holding their own to a very high standard and sharing a lovely comradery throughout. Thomas Jennings
played Baron Hardup and portrayed him to be a loveable bumbling father character to great effect. Eve
Hargraves as Cinderella gave a delightful performance, and her voice was absolutely breath taking. Her
rendition of Used to Be Mine from the musical Waitress, combined with the solo dancer was sensational.
Every fairy-tale needs a fairy godmother, and Alice White portrayed this role beautifully with magic in
every step. I wasn’t sure by the end of the show whether I needed to boo or cheer for Klara Worthington
who portrayed Bodget, an ambitious builder for the crown. She made the character complex with lots of
layers to unravel through the show.
Now I get to Josh Lewis playing Buttons. Well. What an extremely talented young man. For a young man
of 17 he held the stage better than some actors do of twice that many years. He was born to be on the
stage and suited Buttons down to the ground. His energy was so infectious I found that I was wanting to
sit down for him. His duet of You can count on me with Eve as Cinderella was phenomenal and had to be
one of the best numbers in the show. Josh you should be extremely proud of yourself.
The Milton rooms, where this production took place, was such a lovely venue and very well suited to put
on the production. Lighting and all elements of tech were seamlessly run and added to the general
feeling of the show. The set was extremely well created and used the space to great advantage. The
addition of the stunning dancers was wonderful especially the Royal Hunt dance that showed a lovely
story of the animals beating the hunt. A huge well done to Millie Kemp and Joanne Dawson for putting
such wonderful choreography together. I commend each and every one of you for your excellent
creativity and performing ability. I am under no doubt that the rest of your shows will run with as much
success as the night I watched.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.