Cinderella

It was a pleasure to return to Sion Pantomime Society for their 2025 production of Cinderella. This popular pantomime was full of laughter and merriment from the outset.

Poor Kindheart, the Fairy Godmother had one last chance to make her magic work, otherwise she would fail her apprenticeship. She needed to find Cinderella and secure a love match with Prince Charming. Looking resplendent in her gold dress, wearing ‘L-plates,’ Cara Needham was wonderful as the ditzy fairy. Easily distracted and excellent at going off topic, returning to fairy mode to impart essential information to the audience; Cara was impressive. The audience took to her character at once. I loved the little apprentice fairies that went with her at one point, they looked beautiful in their little fairy costumes. Her solo as she waved Cinderella off to the ball was simply lovely.

Loving Cinderella from afar was Buttons, the servant of Hardup Hall and Cinderella’s best friend. Amy Tattersall was hilarious in this role. With an abundance of energy and a talent for voices, Amy had the audience laughing aloud at her antics. Her facial expressions were priceless, her timing and delivery excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed Amy’s song ‘Nobody’ a duet with Jessica Turner, who played Cinderella, it was heartfelt with a lovely harmony. A fantastic performance full of slap stick humour and excellent delivery.

I have to say, what a good sport Jessica Turner was. When Cinderella lost her slipper, the cast made comments as to the size of it. Far from being dainty, it was somewhat large (sorry Jessica), and the audience laughed heartily at the jokes surrounding it. Jessica was strong as Cinderella; she had humility and grace. Her interactions with her fellow cast members were excellent. Her timing and dialogue notable. I did enjoy her duet with Prince Charming, ‘Is This Love,’ a difficult song sung with conviction from both actors. Jessica looked beautiful as she appeared ready for the ball, the quick-change scene covered by a body double and the actors on stage. The collective mood in the audience was one of awe. A strong character performance from Jessica.

Every lady’s dream catch, Prince Charming, was played by Abby Lawless. With some cracking thigh slaps and a regal carefree attitude, Abby was strong in this role. The scenes with the ‘tiny’ shoe were hilarious as Abby tangled with the shenanigans of both dames. I did like the way the prince was introduced, ensemble members brandishing a posh-o-meter on stage before a huge kerfuffle erupted behind the audience. The Prince and Dandini ran through the auditorium, escaping a gaggle of fans before running onto the stage, nicely done. Abby had a great singing voice, her duet with Cinderella was strong. A great character portrayal.

Layla Hare was fantastic as Dandini. As aide to the prince, Dandini was talked into swapping outfits, resulting in the ugly sisters pursuing him relentlessly. Layla had an impressive stage presence; I thought her interpretation of Dandini was excellent. She put her whole self into the role, being dragged about and physically picked up to dance with the sisters. I loved the way she held her legs when carried, not around the sisters’ waist but enough to hold on whilst giving the impression of being a very unwilling dance partner. Hilarious from start to finish, Layla played her role fabulously.

Kevin Moore and Ryan Bradley played the ugly sisters. Kevin Moore as Fifi had a pinched face and posh voice whilst Ryan Bradley as Fru Fru was slightly gawky and common. They were opposites that complimented each other perfectly. Fully immersed in their characters, these two actors flirted with the audience, threw Dandini about between themselves and kicked up a storm whenever they were on. The audience loved the ice cream scene where Fifi and Fru Fru spent the entire time in the auditorium flirting and berating everyone. I loved their song ‘Don’t Chaz  Fifi sang whilst Fru Fru hilariously provided the backing. It was lively, comical, and colourful. The very subtle ‘flash’ of bloomers as Fifi advised Fru Fru to watch out for ghosts and ghoulies was very well done, cheeky but not obvious, timed to perfection as were many of the interactions between these actors. Two extraordinarily strong dame characters from Kevin and Ryan.

Of course, the ugly sisters would not be complete without their money grabbing mother. Jan Bamber played the Baroness, adorned in jewels, with her evil laugh, she did not disappoint. Nagging and high pitched, haughty, and callous Jan had all the attributes of a wicked stepmother, and the audience booed her whenever she came onto the stage. Her duets with Stephen Willoughby, who played Baron Hardup, were comical. ‘Money Makes the World Go Around’ and ‘Chu-Chi Face’ were fun, and great choices of song emphasising the power struggle within the relationship, with the Baroness clearly the dominant partner. Stephen was kindly and caring, as the Baron, enamoured with his wife, unable to help Cinderella. His presence was a calm against the Baroness, well played both actors.

Director and chief Choreographer, Marcia Turner created a fabulous family friendly pantomime with many hilarious moments and some stunning scenes. The cast were all strong players, with tightly rehearsed performances and an excellent mix of music for the audience to enjoy. I thought the carriage looked wonderful as it was moved from behind the curtains by the main doorway. The crew had placed it silently after the audience were seated and it was steered into place on stage without any wobbles, or mishaps. All magic and quick changes were polished, everyone working together to create an impressive illusion. The Stage Managers, Chris Needham, Rob Bennett, Mark Lawless and their team worked tirelessly, and were unobtrusive throughout the show. The Hardup sisters’ boudoir looked great, the wardrobe opening and closing easily. The lighting in this scene was impressive, as the sisters dimmed the bedside lamps, the stage lights were brought down with precision timing. Using the youths, dressed as ghosts, moving energetically to ‘Dance Macabre’ (Camille Saint-Saens,) was a great touch, the uv lights highlighting the actors as they bounced around the bedroom. The ensemble worked hard throughout this production, I particularly enjoyed the opening of act two, the masquerade ball, and the adult chorus members who accompanied many of the scenes. The forest scene with the youth ensemble dressed as various forest animal was very funny, especially when the gorilla walked out, the audience laughed aloud and clapped the joke heartily. The whole cast were animated and vibrant throughout the show. This was a society who worked together from start to finish and the positive audience reactions were testament to their hard work. A thoroughly enjoyable pantomime from start to finish.

I would like to thank Sion Pantomime Society for inviting me to their pantomime. My plus one and I had a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing many more productions from them in the future.

 

 

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