Cinderella

It was wonderful to return and see this society flourishing with a hall full of an audience with lots of little girls dressed in their Cinderella costumes awaiting your second production. The script used was again an old script written by a Newquay resident Betty Bolton. The traditional tale was delivered at a good pace with many laugh out loud moments.

The curtained stage was set up at the front of the hall and the lighting and sound well controlled by Dymond Audio who were seated at the rear of the hall.

The stage was dressed with appropriately painted backcloths and legs. The kitchen in Cinderella’s home looked convincing with exposed bricks, a fireplace with a picture of her and her mother above it. The other items that were used to dress the stage and props were well moved and used by the members of the cast. I especially liked the iridescent coach.

The live trio of organ, drums and guitar expertly directed by your Musical Director brought the large selection of musical numbers to life and pin pointed actions during the show. The singing overall was excellent however there seemed to be a couple of tuning issues at the beginning of a pair of songs. It was good to hear songs that the audience knew well joined in with such as ‘Count on Me’ and ‘We like to Party’, show classics and the words of ‘Crantock by Newquay’ certainly showed where Cinderella’s heart was. Beautifully delivered.

The numerous well-fitting costumes enhanced all the scenes. It was great to see traditional principal boy outfits the prince and Dandini wore and the sparkly boots the Prince certainly added elegance to his outfits, although I did wonder if someone was listening to my conversation because I commented on the angle of Dandini’s large hat as it shaded her face and when she next walked on stage it had been tilted back.  The simple transformation dress Cinderella wore worked well and the Fairy Godmother looked magical in her white dress although I would have liked to see a longer cloak over it to conceal it when she was collecting twigs.  The Ugly Sisters certainly lived up to their names and the mouse costumes looked great and I liked the fact that they were different colours especially Bibbity, Bobbity and Boo’s. Time had been taken to ensure the make-up and hair styles added to the overall effect.

From the opening number to the finale all the dance routines were cleverly choreographed by your talented director and choreographer.  The varied numbers were accompanied by different dances from modern steps to a well presented tap dance. Your cast had been well drilled and whether completing more complex or simple steps all those involved smiled throughout which added to the audience’s enjoyment. Congratulations.

The first characters introduced were the Prince and Dandini they certainly worked well as a pair and delivered their lines clearly. The Prince looked like a traditional principal boy with a strong attitude and hands on hips he played the part with aplomb, moved well and his singing was outstanding. Dandini worked well as his sidekick, singing and dancing confidently, he had a devil may care attitude and encouraged the Prince to find his true love.

We then met Cinderella out collecting sticks, this experienced actor always gives of her best creating a rounded character who interacts with all on stage, sings and dances skilfully.  ‘Colour My World’, ‘Crantock by Newquay’ and ‘Last Night of the World’ were stand out numbers. The Fairy Godmother used her voice to create a convincing old lady and used a more upbeat manner when she revealed herself in her true role. It was certainly a different take on the character when she turned into a wicked queen. She spoke and sang clearly.

The next actor on stage to speak had the audience in fits of laughter when he started speaking. He had obviously perfected his affected voice and was able to keep it going throughout the performance. His the ‘Herald says no!’ was certainly reminiscent of David Walliams’s ‘Computer says no!’

Buttons bounced onto the stage and hardly stood still during the performance. He worked hard in his upbeat smiley way to get the audience to interact with him and championed Cinderella’s cause during the show. He enthusiastically delivered his lines and songs.

Eleanor was one of the smaller roles in the cast but the young lady delivered her text clearly and moved well. It was great to see her longing looks at the Prince when Dandini was talking to her.

The Ugly Sisters are an intrinsic part of any Cinderella performance and your two actors certainly took two different approaches to it. Petunia ( if I’m honest I found the beard a little distracting) was upright with a firm clear way of delivering the text and Dahlia was more interactive using more dame like gestures and facial expressions, this was certainly evident during the ball scene. They both successfully lorded their power over Cinderella around and had her running around completing their tasks. ‘All the Single Ladies’ was sung with feeling at the ball with their blond wigs swaying and their outrageous dresses. I would like to commend Petunia for coping well with her dress malfunction.

The actor portraying Baron Hardup did so in a convincing manner you could see that he cared for Cinderella and wanted what was best for her but was constantly having to accommodate the step sisters demands. ‘Isn’t she Lovely’ was tunefully sung.

King and Queen Charming might have only joined the cast in the ball but that didn’t make their roles any less important. They were desperate to marry their son off and determined to ensure a bride was found for him. The King who spoke clearly and was obviously into his music was domineered by his wife whose word was law and wasn’t having any of that nosily music played! They certainly looked the part and spoke clearly with feeling.

A company does not only contain those members that are named in the cast but the ensemble and yours were constantly acting during every scene. When you looked around the stage, they were interacting with each other and reacting to the action on stage.  This was followed through to each dance routine it was great to see younger members who were at the back of the stage were on point throughout. Many congratulations to every member of your team onstage and to those who do not perform for the audience but ensure the show is of a high standard. Congratulations to every member of Newquay Stage Company for an excellent afternoon’s entertainment.

Disclaimer 

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

The NODA Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular, the performance.  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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