Cinderella

Irchester Players’ performance of Cinderella was a traditional take on the pantomime. Emma Ellson played the titular role of Cinderella with confidence and gentleness. There was great chemistry between her and Buttons (Anthony Curson). Emma and Anthony’s voices blended beautifully in their duet “Count on Me”, singing harmonies with ease. Prince Charming was played in a traditional way with Justine Abbott in the role, providing some powerful vocals in her songs, and complementing Emma’s voice in their duet “Everything Has Changed”. Ellie Miles as Dandini was confident in her role supporting the prince. Alex McKenzie as Grizelda and Chris Taylor as Gertrude stole the show with their witty banter and ad-libbing throughout. They were clearly enjoying their roles (maybe a little too much at times!) and worked the audience brilliantly. Boget and Leggett (Jamie Thomas and Stacy Ansell) provided a lot of humour with witty one liners and silly jokes. It was disappointing that Chris Thirlwell as Baron Hardup was reading from a notebook throughout the first act as this slowed down the pace in places however, there was no notebook in sight for Act Two. The Baroness (Julie Haydon) was humorous with her gold-digging ways and had a good relationship with Baron Hardup. Benjamin Thirwell was well suited to the role of Chambers and commanded the attention of the cast and audience. The fairy godmother, Fairy G, was beautifully played by Laura Cousins. With the rhyming script, she didn’t miss a beat and clearly knew her lines inside out. A standout song from the night was the company singing “Never Had a Dream Come True”, led by Laura. The harmonies in this number were spot on and gave me goosebumps. 

The musical direction was provided by Ashley Gray, who also provided live music along with Richard Awdry, Kevin Griffiths and Keith Gamble. The song choices were relevant and modern with songs that audience members would easily recognise. The harmonies in the musical numbers were well rehearsed and easily heard. It was a beautiful touch adding sign language to the finale number of “Out of the Darkness” resonating with the lyrics, “there’s a place where we belong”. 

Chloe Ellson not only performed in the show but also choregraphed the numbers. Along with Chloe were 3 other principal dancers. They choreography was inventive and showcased the abilities of all on stage. As well as playing one of the ugly sisters, Alex McKenzie provided the direction. There was good use of the set, with an extended stage in order to fit all of the cast on stage. The props and scenery were appropriate for the show and were imaginative. The sound balance between the microphones and live band was perfect in Act One, it was a shame that Act Two was riddled with sound issues to the point where microphones were not working. However, the cast were not put off by this and projected their voices to ensure they could be heard.  

The costumes were bright and colourful for the cast and supported each character’s personality. Cinderella’s rags were magically transformed into a beautiful ballgown, leaving the audience in awe. My only issue with the costumes was some of the footwear was too loud on the stage, especially when the stage was hollow in places.  

Although the show was longer than anyone anticipated, it was jam packed with laughter and feel-good moments. The audience had a great time, as did the cast. 

I’m already looking forward to seeing what Irchester Players have in store for the future. 

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