CINDERELLA

Hackney Empire

★★★★

“Sumptuous, hilarious, sparkling and completely over the top”

The most magical thing about watching Cinderella is that you know the story, the characters and the outcome. It is a universal story of adversity and justice, and the transformative powers of love and kindness. It has been performed, in various adaptations, possibly millions of times around the world. In Britain alone, it is one of the most frequently mounted pantomimes.

Yet, in the hands of a masterly production, you can still be enthralled. In fact, much of the enchantment comes from the fact you DO know what’s going on. So, in the audience, you become collaborator and co-creator, and in some weird way, know that the success of the evening is greatly down to you.

That’s enough theorising – Hackney Empire’s seasonal Cinderella, in the hands of writer Will Brenton and director Clive Rowe, delivers that masterly production. Sumptuous, hilarious, sparkling and completely over the top. Brenton and Rowe are masters. The credits in the programme are too long to even begin a selection, but think productions of The Addams Family and Chicago – Rowe has been involved in these and many more. With such credentials, the evening guaranteed brilliance.

For a start there was a proper band. Led by Wendy Gadian as musical director and arranger, the four musicians managed to sound like a complete orchestra. The music – a mix of classic Christmas and contemporary pop with original material and songs by Steven Edis – yielded sophisticated dance numbers, rousing choruses, some poignant solos and great audience involvement. At one point, a few songsters joined in from the stalls even before the invitation.

Then there was the villain – the wicked stepmother. Gloriously attired in costumes by designer Cleo Pettitt, and prowling about the stage to audience boos, Alexandra Waite-Roberts was, for me, the outstanding act. She is a musical performer of the highest calibre with huge on-stage charisma. Her song number ‘I am going to live till I die’ and a short Bob Fosse-style dance sequence (choreography by Michael Ward) were two of the show’s delights.

But then picking out any performer seems churlish. Kat B and George Heyworth as Flatula and Nausea (the Ugly Sisters) held the show together. Jade Johnson as the Fairy Godmother and Siobhan James as Cinderella were the charmers, while Nicholas McLean, as a cheeky Buttons hopelessly in love with Cinders, gave us a light touch of pathos – as well as being a belting singer.

It was a big ensemble, appropriate for the gorgeous Hackney Empire. Supporting the main cast and ensemble were 25 students from the Vestry School of Dance and Performing Arts. Every one was excellently integrated and a credit to the show.

The final must-mention was the on-stage spectacle delivered by a hugely talented creative, production and technical team with lighting by Tim Mitchell and sound by Richard Bell. The backdrops were all spun with glitter – we got a frost festival, a woodland glade, a castle on a mountain and Hardup Hall, home to Cinderella and her stepsisters. As the first act closes and the fairy godmother sends Cinders to the ball, the technics were all pulled out and a piece of completely awesome stage magic was performed to gasps by the audience. It would be quite wrong to spoil the moment. Go and see for yourself.

Do you need reminding of the story? Cinderella is a classic folk tale (French) of a virtuous working girl extremely down on her luck and being bullied. But her beauty and goodness have been noticed and there is a handsome prince loose in the district – Hackney in the Holly in this case – who is looking for a wife (and to be recognised for himself). So, Hey Presto! Magic brings the two together and all wrongs are righted. In the meantime we have all enjoyed nearly three hours of laughter, sung along to some great music, been awestruck, thrilled and thoroughly satisfied. What better way to open the Christmas season?

CINDERELLA

Hackney Empire

Reviewed on 4th December 2025

by Louise Sibley

Photography by Mark Senior

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ROMEO AND JULIET | ★★★★★ | April 2025

DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT | ★★★★ | December 2024

ALADDIN | ★★★★ | November 2023

Cinderella

★★★★

“exceptionally clever”

Magic as entertainment has moved on a lot since my youth when the prestigious Magic Circle held sway, famous for the oath its members must take in order to preserve the secrets of the tricks they perform.

Now, with audiences so much more sophisticated, performers of magic know that we know what we are seeing is an illusion, built on extraordinary powers of memory and psychology, on misdirection and mathematics. Yet the simple opener ‘pick a card’ still has the power to captivate. So this is exactly how David Kwong, magician and puzzle creator, opens his two hour show of incredible twists and tricks.

Kwong’s performance is exceptionally clever. He is unfolding a long story while keeping our minds baffled and our bodies on edge. Audience involvement was there, as cards were handed out and individuals drawn on stage to help. There was illusion and sleight of hand, but then, it turned out, the trick never really concluded. It just became a piece of a larger jigsaw. We got tips for mastery at Scrabble. We were shown how a crossword was constructed. And all the time, he is taking us on a narrative journey through his own career interleaved with the fascinating story of George Fabyan, pioneer of modern cryptography.

Fabyan was an American businessman who founded Riverbank Laboratories on a country estate in Geneva, Illinois. As well as the laboratories he built a lighthouse, windmills, grottoes and a zoo on his grounds. This private research enterprise is now recognised as the forerunner of the National Security Agency and Fabyan’s story, put with that of two of his employees, has all the features of a fairy tale. So, unless you are a follower of cryptological history, you might wonder, as I did, whether this wasn’t just another illusion being spun by Kwong over the course of the evening.

This show has been thrilling audiences across the USA. Opening at Wilton’s Music Hall, it was playing to a packed house. I was impressed at the skills of the audience too. Kwong set us five puzzles to solve, all part of cracking a code that would eventually open the mystery box sitting at the back of the stage throughout the show. At least sixteen people stood up with the solution, when the final piece was put in place.

What was in the box? Well, clearly, this is not going to be revealed here. It is enough to say that the standing ovation and the cheers at the end were as great as was the mystery of the conclusion. How did he do it?

Tag Archives: Louise Sibley

CINDERELLA

★★★★

Hackney Empire

CINDERELLA

Hackney Empire

★★★★

“Sumptuous, hilarious, sparkling and completely over the top”