Cinderella

The programme describes "Cinderella" as being 'the most famous pantomime of them all' and I certainly wouldn't argue with that.  This version was refreshingly up to date without losing any of the magic of a traditional pantomime.

Jean Schofield immediately engaged with the audience as Fairy Glitterdust and introduced us to the story.  We were told that Baron Horace Hardup met his new wife Lucretia through a Lonely Hearts column and would shortly be bringing her and her two daughters back to Hardup Hall.

Rachel Betts made a lovely Cinderella and must have been the envy of every little girl in the audience when she went to the ball in "that" dress.  Her friend Buttons (who as we know is secretly in love with Cinderella) was played with great energy by Dean Kiely.  Good interaction with the children and a very good singing voice.  I liked his reasoning behind the lack of a coach on stage to take Cinderella to the ball.  We saw the mice coachmen, so it was quite obvious that the coach must be outside!  This clever ploy made us use our imagination and proved it is not always necessary to have lavish props.

Keith Nuttall gave a good performance as the Baron, at first seeming proud of his new wife and daughters and gradually sinking into despair at their treatment of Cinderella.  Teresa Hennessy was excellent in her role as Lucretia, the hard hearted stepmother; necessarily evil but also, at times, very funny.

David Smithet and Simon Bates as ugly sisters Grizelda and Alopecia were in fine form and kept us amused with their banter and outrageous costumes.

I liked that the tradition of casting a female Prince Charming and Dandini was upheld.  To my mind, casting men in these roles does not always work.  Charlotte Foster as the Prince and Emma Foster as Dandini were an excellent pairing.  Just one little thing - where were the tricorn hats?  I think these could have added the finishing touch to their traditional costumes.

Judy Curry gave a comical twist to Chamberlain.  Well attired and suitably haughty, this was another very good performance.

Children of various ages were delightful as chorus and townsfolk, hunt protestors, guests at the ball, etc.  They had some lovely lines, poking fun at the proceedings unravelling on stage.  It was great to see so many young smiling faces.  Here I must give a mention to Sam, who as well as being in the chorus, played the Ghost in a very comic scene in the woods, played out to the Ghostbuster's theme

Jenny White looked very regal as the Queen, a small part well played.

Excellent directing from Jennifer Scott-Reid, with imaginative staging and slick scene changes. Well done also to the back stage crew  Lighting was good and the sound well balanced, with the backing tracks starting up right on cue.

I thoroughly enjoyed this pantomime.  Thank you Clavering Players for a very enjoyable afternoon's entertainment.

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