Cinderella

This was only the second Cinderella I’ve been invited to in nine years of being a NODA rep, which is surprising since it may be one of the country's favourite fairy tales.  The variations in its long history offer plenty of material for scriptwriters, but the basics remain throughout, so this work by Tuesday Williams accordingly filled the stage with our anticipated stock characters to deliver goodies and baddies, song and dance, fantasy and colour, running gags and audience participation in abundance. 

The swirling golden gobos of the lighting design preceded a brief overture from the five-piece band and came to a sharp halt for the entry of our Fairy Godmother,  who appeared quite properly through the DR portal of the dark red proscenium.  Here was a change!  No frothy twinkle, this was a modern fairy with a penchant for aubergines (!), defensive of her right to wear a smart pink trouser suit in the 21st century.  Speaking in a warm Cornish accent and brandishing a St. Piran’s flag-topped wand skewered through a pasty, she was having no nonsense as she outlined her mission and waved the tabs open for the rousing opening number that was well staged to make the best use of the space available and the voices came across loud and clear with happy, enthusiastic faces engaging the audience right from the off. A swift and tidy exit by the Ensemble left the stage clear and the set could be considered. The full-width blue brick-painted flat dressed with framed pictures and with a wide door at the centre made an attractive Hardup Hall and versatile backdrop.  White falling stars decorated the matching blue legs and carried across the front of the upper level of the stage -   a scaffold construction that provided both a walkway for performers and space for the band so they could watch the action and have their presence appreciated by the audience.  It was an attractive and functional set that backed an uncluttered stage. Its transformation into a Place Ballroom of gold sparkle with a symmetrical arrangement of two staircases picked out in deep blue had a dramatic impact. The lighting is always a major feature of HTC’s shows and this plot appeared thoughtfully designed to make the most of the costumes and the sets, cover those set changes with prompt and timely blackouts, and provide the basic requirement of lighting the faces in every corner of the stage. The climax was the amazing flying coach: the laser beams, the perfect blackout that completely hid its operation, and the rigging the twinkling lights around its structure made the effect work perfectly. 

All of the Principals were microphoned so the sound quality was consistently good enough to hear every word of the dialogue.  Characters’ cues were prompt, so no entry lines were missed. Music and movement were very closely linked, with every song choreographed to some extent.  The band accompanied the singers sensitively and had coached tuneful performances from them. Big company numbers filled the stage with energetic dance routines while solos and duets had their share of more intimate moments.

The Director delivered a top-notch production that incorporated both traditional elements of panto and unique touches to make it distinctive, not least the original script. Its quick-fire gags and one-liners came across clearly - the innuendoes drawing guffaws of laughter from those in the know while drifting like a fog above the heads of the innocents.  Pace needs to be maintained for the jokes to work and for the most part it was. Blocking had considered the sight lines, but with the raked seating this is not too much of a problem at the Epworth, and groupings of the Ensemble on a busy stage looked natural, informal and spontaneous. The anticipated Transformation in this most famous transformation pantomime, pumpkin to coach, white mice to footmen, rags to ballgown, didn’t quite happen before our very eyes, but wow! did the flying coach make up for it?!  Whose idea was that?  It was utterly dazzling in its invention, creation and operation and its moment made what was already a spectacular show breathtaking!  

Original, melodic, visually appealing, funny and uplifting, this was a production that entertained Helston audiences again. 

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