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CINDERELLA

★★★★★

Cambridge Arts Theatre

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CINDERELLA

Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★★★

“side-splittingly funny, intelligent and the song and dance numbers are a delight”

Pantomime season is amongst us again and this year in Cambridge it is the turn of Cinderella written by Al Lockhart-Morley and directed by Michael Gattrell. Painted backdrops (Ian Westbrook, set designer) featuring famous Cambridge landmarks leave us in no doubt as to where we are situated. There are a copious number of Cambridge jokes scripted in which get the loudest laughs from the audience. Prince Charming is visiting Trinity College and Cinderella is an environmental studies student in the process of applying for a place at Harvard. In many ways this is not your average pantomime. But as we are often reminded this is Cambridge, after all.

Fairy Goodheart (Julia J Nagle) sets the scene and keep us up with the plot, as well as providing the magic, of course. Nagle is delightful throughout with twinkly eyes and a reassuring smile and we know we are in good hands. A great voice too when it comes to her solo numbers.

Pantomime legend Matt Crosby holds the whole production together. Despite this year discarding his Dame’s skirts for a Buttons’ tunic, his onstage warmth and amiability puts everyone at their ease. He’s funny, possesses great comic timing and, now that we can see his feet, can dance a bit too.

Cinderella (Chloe Gentles) is as delightful as she must be. She is probably also the smartest dressed and most properly spoken Cinderella on stage this year. She did once pick up a broom but the most arduous thing she was otherwise seen to do was to take a group of children to the woods for an eco-friendly ramble. Which gives her the chance to meet the royal prince and his servant, elegantly dressed in purple suits. Jack Wilcox – great voice, great feet – plays Prince Charming much as you might see Hugh Grant take on the role. Alex Bloomer, smiling throughout, plays Dandini as the Prince’s devoted spaniel.

A high standard of clever punning falls into the script for Baron Hardup (Stuart Simons) who commands the stage and pairs well with Buttons. The Wicked Stepsisters (Harry Howle and Steven Roberts) dressed in an array of outstanding and outlandish costumes (Sue Simmerling, costume designer) share sparkling repartee but haven’t yet found their comedy timing or fully exploited the rapport between them.

The production gives us a generous number of excellent song and dance routines (Kevan Allen, choreographer and Dean McDermott, Musical Director), though the song choices are a bit obscure. The ensemble of six dancers are excellent; stunning on the eye, dressed in beautiful costumes and with great moves their scenes are arguably the best of the show. Supported well too in some scenes by a children’s ensemble who are disciplined, smile throughout and give an added something to the larger scenes on the full stage. The act one curtain closer as Cinderella finds her carriage to take her to the ball is a real showstopper of a scene involving twinkling lights (Mike Robertson, lighting designer), and an ingenious stage effect.

Story telling must make way in the second half for birthday shout outs, children up on stage, and audience participatory singing. This year it’s How Much is that Doggie in the Window due to an extraneous bit of subplot shoehorned in to facilitate the now traditional soapy slapstick scene. The slick timing is not quite there yet but the generous audience is in stiches anyway.

Cambridge has pulled out all the stops to provide a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining evening. There’s all the pantomime elements and audience participation we expect without any shady politics or extreme innuendo. It looks good, sounds good, at times is side-splittingly funny, intelligent and the song and dance numbers are a delight. Go see!


CINDERELLA at Cambridge Arts Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd December 2024

by Phillip Money

Photography by Richard Hubert Smith

 

 


 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

1984 | ★★★★ | October 2024
THE HISTORY BOYS | ★★★★ | October 2024
REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE | ★★★ | September 2024
CLUEDO 2: THE NEXT CHAPTER | ★★ | March 2024
MOTHER GOOSE | ★★★★ | December 2023
FAITH HEALER | ★★★ | October 2023
A VOYAGE AROUND MY FATHER | ★★★ | October 2023
FRANKENSTEIN | ★★★★ | October 2023
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION | ★★★ | March 2023
THE HOMECOMING | ★★★★★ | April 2022

Cinderella

Cinderella

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Plaid Tidings
★★★

Bridge House Theatre

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Plaid Tidings

Plaid Tidings

Bridge House Theatre

Reviewed – 1st December 2018

★★★

“For all its narrative flaws, it would take a stonier heart than mine to resist this dose of festive cheer and performance by a talented cast”

 

First things first: the vocal skills on display in this show are great. So great in fact, they unfortunately serve to highlight an at times baffling plot.

The Plaids are a sixties close harmony group who, in the Forever Plaid musical which precedes this, lose their lives in a tragic accident but return to earth to seek stardom. This instalment sees them again travel from the firmament to regale us with festive delights because … well, a convincing reason is elusive.

This doesn’t really matter, but it also becomes apparent that it’s the Plaids’ lifelong ambition to have their own Christmas TV special. This is one of several indications of a critical challenge for audiences: a Pacific-sized gap in cultural reference which is hard to traverse. For American viewers for whom the annual variety show is a central part of the holidays, this would make more sense.

The central premise, then, feels weaker than a melting icicle. But the musical performances are great fun; we find ourselves hankering for the next song during dialogue expounding the curious narrative. Lines are delivered with sometimes excessively earnest if admirable gusto, and one or two of the accents are America by way of the UK. In such a small venue, the brio (and later, the handbells) can border on the overpowering.

The studio space, above a great-looking pub, does allow for the full benefit of the music, especially in the fun a cappella Sha-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream). Musical Director Laurie Denman on the piano as well as voice is especially cracking, with a rendition of Kiss of Fire bringing comedic physicality into the slower first half. Later, ‘Twuz Tha Nite B4 Xmas introduces a welcome slice of funk to cut through the saccharine and It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas has us swaying. Passing mention must be made of fact that during the music and movement, the noisy stage surface becomes an occasional distraction.

Plaid Tidings first came about in a California theatre following the bleakness of 9/11. Arguably, we’re again in dire need of an injection of gentle fun. But Pasadena in 2001 is a long way from contemporary London, and some of the clumsier elements are at odds in the diverse south of the capital. There is an uneasiness in affecting the required Jamaican accent (‘she take ma money and go Christmas shopping’) during one audience singalong. The group wisely limit the Caribbean affectation, but what remains jars today. Equally, the group’s apparent horror when they find themselves under the mistletoe is lazy; is the idea of men kissing really so shocking in 2018?

The evening closes with a collective rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The audience applauds enthusiastically. For all its narrative flaws, it would take a stonier heart than mine to resist this dose of festive cheer and performance by a talented cast.

 

Reviewed by Abi Davies

Photography by Jamie Scott-Smith

 

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Plaid Tidings

Bridge House Theatre until 23rd December

 

Other shows reviewed by Abi Davies:

 

The Archive of Educated Hearts | ★★★★ | October 2018
Fanatical – the Musical | ★★★ | November 2018
Burke & Hare | ★★★★ | November 2018

 

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