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

★★★

“inventive, stylised and almost cinematic”

Imagine if you could live your life like a movie set, and you were the director. If things weren’t going quite the way you wanted, you could call “Cut!” and re-run the scene with the desired outcome. Tom Ripley has gained this advantageous gift in Mark Leipacher’s touring adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr Ripley”. It is a neat theatrical device applied to a character who lives, not just on his wits, but by the skin of his teeth. Unfortunately, though, it does chip away at the sympathy we are supposed to feel for this con artist and serial killer. The perverse beauty of Highsmith’s creation is that it is near impossible not to root for Tom Ripley, despite his psychotic tendencies. The emotional engagement is dampened which, in turn, undermines the suspense.

That said, Ed McVey is fascinating and charismatic as Tom Ripley. Overflowing with energy he is onstage throughout, commanding our attention and drawing us into his subterfuge by alternately addressing the audience before plunging back again into the thrilling story. Like unwitting accomplices, we tag along as his life spirals deeper into deception. Ripley is at a bit of a dead end, scraping by as a small time grifter until approached by shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf (a cool Christopher Bianchi) who sets the wheels of Ripley’s adventures in motion. Herbert’s son, Dickie (Bruce Herbelin-Earle), is living it up in Italy showing no signs of coming home. Mistakenly believing Ripley to be a close friend of Dickie’s, Herbert offers him an all expenses paid trip to persuade the wayward son to return home. Eyeing a way out of the mess his life has become in America – and a free holiday – Ripley readily accepts. Thus begins his murderous journey.

It is a fast-paced journey, the sense of location created almost single handedly by Zeynep Kepekli’s lighting; a series of neon fluorescent tubes that transport us from the buzz of New York City nightlife to an Italian sunset, and into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. The stark blackness of Holly Pigott’s set allows shadowy figures to prowl and watch from the sidelines, ever circling and closing in. The ensemble cast break away from the shadows to take on multiple supporting roles. But the focus is on Ripley and his ill-fated victims.

Herbelin-Earle, as Dickie, is refreshingly humble for a playboy of such privilege. Easy-going and relaxed, his voice is a touch more stilted however, as it searches for depth that isn’t really there. Maisie Smith, as Dickie’s frustrated girlfriend Marge, is down to earth, making good use of her underwritten role. Sometimes the secondary roles fare better. Cary Crankson steps out of the ensemble to play a convincing Freddie Miles, almost succeeding in tripping up and exposing Ripley before adding to the body count.

Leipacher’s production is inventive, stylised and almost cinematic. The first act flirts with film-noir while the second half homes in more on the plot twists as the pace quickens and the cat and mouse game gets in full swing, even if the suspense factor manages to escape the chase. Ripley spends a lot of the time thinking on the spot, making it up just so he can get out of his latest scrape. Leipacher’s “The Talented Mr Ripley” is quite the opposite. It is creatively and finely thought out from start to finish. Imaginative, clever, innovative and despite the theatrical trickery, respectfully faithful to Highsmith’s original.

Tag Archives: Mark Senior

CINDERELLA

★★★★

Hackney Empire

CINDERELLA

Hackney Empire

★★★★

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