Cinderella

Thank you very much for inviting me to your production of ‘Cinderella’. I always enjoy my visits over to Torpoint for your annual pantomime and know just how enthusiastic the local town are and the support that they give to the production.

The set

The set as always was very nice provided by Andy Martin Productions. The set consisted mainly of flats depicting the scene of a small village. At the back of the stage was a star cloth which would further support throughout the show as it progressed. Dotted around the proscenium were a multiple of clocks whose times were set to midnight, a gentle nod of things to come later. A carriage was. Revealed during the performance and this transition was handled smoothly and, with the addition some lighting effects, magically revealed a carriage complete with singing horses. It would have been nice if Cinderella and the horses were set up facing on more of an angle during the make-believe scene with buttons in order for the audience to have been able to see all of their faces.

 

Lighting

The lighting was also provided and programmed by Andy and added to the ambiance. All of the cast were well lit and there were plenty of specials including the use of moving head lights and profiles to add texture to the stage. 

 

Sound

The pantomime this year utilised backing tracks for the first time in many years since their resident pianist stepped down. Performing to backing tracks adds a greater level of challenge due to the need to have excellent timing but also due to the volume of a backing track as opposed to a pianist at the front. 

There was a great selection of songs chosen for this show and the solos were generally well handled. The production could perhaps benefit from either some additional radio mics being hired in or the cast focussing on their projection to ensure that the vocals are heard loudly all the way at the back of the hall. I was sat about halfway back in the auditorium and would have to say that during the songs I couldn’t always hear the singing of those without a radio mic on. I must say however the volume during the finale was much louder and so the cast are clearly capable of projecting their voices when they are confident. “It’s a kind of magic” was clearly an audience favour with lots of laughs throughout with the addition of the singing horses.

 

Costume and Makeup

Costumes were sourced predominantly in house with some being borrowed from a local group in the town. The costumes were excellent and really added a lot to the overall quality of the show. The Cinderella dress with its built-in quick change worked very effectively and gave that extra touch of magic. This quick change was generally well executed and left the audience amazed. The ugly step sisters make-up was very well done and gave a level of grotesqueness needed for these characters.

 

Prose 

This panto was written by director Marc Styles many years ago for a company he worked with in Wales. Marc took the script and made some adjustments to give it a more local context for Torpoint. Riddled with many local references it brought a real sense of ownership and involvement to the audience and had them laughing all the way through. Dialogue was generally well handled by the cast and could be heard clearly. Prazilla had clearly been having some voice troubles throughout the last of the rehearsals and throughout the performance lost her voice almost entirely. The two ugly step sisters played on this throughout and began to incorporate in to their comedy and gags. The Prince and Dandini worked well together and had a good chemistry. Cinderella delivered her lines well and got the audience on-side quite quickly.

I hope the rest of the run was a success and I look forward to returning again next year.

 

Kind regards

   Ryan Procter

   District 3 Representative

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