Cinderella

This was a very different version of the old favourite, a more modern version, fewer ‘Oh yes he dids’ and ‘he’s behind yous’, but obviously, as this was GTG, still a great evening’s pre-Christmas fun. The audience was seated along both sides of the theatre, the performance space in the centre, so we were looking down on the action rather than looking up to a stage. Scenery was produced in the form of curtains hung at either end of the performance space, and was thus quite effective. There were village and woodland scenes, and very sparkly curtains for the ball scene, always intriguing to see what would appear next. Two children and their Gran appeared, Gran clutching a fairy story book from which she began reading Cinderella. They would pop back intermittently and added a great deal to the performance, I and my grandchildren felt.

The ensemble were not villagers, as is usually the case, but staff working at Baron Hardup’s castle, and were clad in practical working gear, in shorts, caps and so on. Their first number ‘9 to 5’ showed them at work, scrubbing, cleaning, cooking and was a great lively opener.

We met, of course, a cheerful Buttons, clad in red tunic full of buttons, a jolly performance from Joel Seaman, who acted and sang very well.  Matilda Hodges made a charming and sweet Cinderella, in a not very ragged and very pretty red dress, once again a fine performance.

Sound and lighting were very effective, musical direction from Bob Good gave a great balance of sound, the band never drowning out the vocals. Lighting of course came into its own in the ball scene and the Strictly scene.

Next we met the dastardly and oh so ugly sisters, Mould and Mildew, with their terrible costumes and even worse makeup, not to mention their awful jokes! Jordan Ryan (Mould) and Ben Dray (Mildew) delighted the kids in the audience and terrified the grownups! Their mother (Penny Thatcher) was suitably mean and could have come out of Oliver with her dulcet cockney tones. Her husband the Baron (Karen Scull) was half her size and whizzed in and out of the action intriguingly. Dandini became Dan and Dini, two Chicago style hoodlums, Prince Charming’s security people, kitted out with dark glasses, mobile phones and all the necessary paraphernalia for such people. They were pretty dim, and played by Jenny Seddon (Dan) and  Sarah Newey (Dini). How their charge, the elegant Prince Charming (Millie Dicker) could put up with their nonsense was a puzzle!

The ball invitations appeared. Buttons got one for Cinders. That got ripped up, if I remember correctly, by the wicked stepmother, but along came the Fairy Godmother of course to save the day, clad all in pink with wand and tiara, played nicely by Ellie Cahill-Nicholls. A huge pumpkin was produced, that was transformed into a wonderful coach. Cinderella was surrounded by staff holding curtains and a silver round ‘bathing tent’ thing, emerging in her gorgeous silver gown and slippers.

Returning after the interval, we found 4 judges on a dais, wearing Viking helmets, as we went into the Strictly dance competition. The Designer, Brian Fraser, and his partner, Phoebe Barrow, gave a stunning dance, really impressive. That lady was, I believe, the same person who wowed us with her performance in the hoop. A very nice touch.

And so the story bounded along, with all kinds of treats along the way, like the totally mad 12 days of Christmas, with flying loo rolls, footballs and other objects, and a water pistol. That was hilarious. Prince Charming finally found his Cinderella, of course, and there was a great stampede onto the floor by many kids to join in with a jolly dance ‘Choo Choo wa’, something like that, with the grown ups joining in all the actions, led by Buttons, from their seats.

Another fun panto from GTG – well done to Director Denise Hodgkiss, writer Jenny Seddon, choreographer Sharon Dalton, and the whole team.

 

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