Cinderella

The ‘Cinderella’ storyline is so well known – this classic ‘rags to riches’ folk tale. This production was well written by Tom Whalley and adapted by the Director Richard Kirkland, packed with comedy.

This is the first time Richard Kirkland has directed the Little Eaton Players Pantomime and he did an excellent job, the pace was good and he brought out the comedy for the audience to enjoy. Richard also played one of the ugly sisters with his counter part Nick Mothershaw. They both looked stunning in their fabulous costumes and wigs and their humour worked brilliantly as they bounced off each other.

Neve Smith performed the title role, Cinderella, she looked the part from the moment she stepped on to the stage with a beautiful singing voice. She was made for this role, bringing the innocence of Cinderella across and her hopes and dreams for a brighter future.

Buttons, Cinderella’s best friend played by Kelly Botham was a delight to watch, she has a smile that makes you want to smile the moment you see her. She instantly made friends with the audience and got them on board joining in shouting and cheering in all the right places.

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Another character with lovely vocals was Prince Charming played by Kat Fenton the handsome Prince. Dandini was played by Catherine Baker who has over 30 years of performance experience, she looked very confident up on stage.

Rachel Humphries performed the role of Baroness Hardup the evil Stepmother! Rachel commanded the stage from the moment she entered and the audience booooo and hissed her from the off. She bossed around her husband Baron Hardup played by Jo Russell who delivered some funny lines.

The Fairy Godmother played by Rachel Holmes brought the magic of panto to life from the beginning of the performance and she was in disguise her counterpart Sue Kirkland appeared, they were both wonderful to watch.  

The choreography by Julie Law was very clean and it was lovely to see so many young people from Little Eaton Dance School fill the stage with their talent and enthusiasm. All the cast looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves and were comfortable in what they were being asked to do.

One of the highlights for me was the transformation when the fairy godmother used her magic to turn Cinderella’s rags into a ball gown and a pumpkin and sweetcorn into a beautiful carriage driven by a unicorn! Cleverly done with neon lighting and costumes, dancing and hoops, this worked brilliantly and was a fantastic end to act one.

The lighting enriched the performance throughout as did the sets colourful backdrops. Throughout the pantomime all the character's diction and projection were very clear, which was fabulous as we didn’t want to miss any of the jokes.  

All the costumes looked great, the fairy godmother’s magical dress and the ugly sisters lavish costumes were real highlights.

To conclude I have to mention the final song a remake of ‘The 12 days of Christmas’. It was so funny as they added more days and it got quicker and quicker and chaos ensued! A big shout out to the props team for making and sourcing the many props and a wonderful snowman.

The audience were enthusiastic from the beginning emitting cheers, boos and hisses at all the appropriate places, a lovely atmosphere throughout the evening. Thank you for your hospitality and I look forward to seeing your next production.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.