| Cinderella by Charles Way |
| First presented in 2000 by Theatr Powys |
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cast size:6
synopsis: Actors & Actresses featured were Daniel Lawrence, Emyr Bell, Ian Yeoman, Kathryn Hodges, Olwen Medi Summary Cinderella is a journey from sickness to health, from darkness to light. It's all about the transforming power of music and light. A traditional interpretation of a magical fairy story for all ages. |
There are 13 reviews of Theatr Powys's Cinderella in our database:
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue New Theatre Cardiff |
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December 21, 2004 |
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| Not withstanding two fine children’s musical productions at the Sherman and an ‘anti-Christmas show’ at Chapter, Cardiff’s New Theatre is the place for traditional pantomime. This year’s Cinderella is no exception, with its spectacular, magically changing scenery, sumptuous costumes, wonderful dancing and even a carriage with two real ponies. Tradition evolves and we have a much-loved children’s TV entertainer, Dave Benson Phillips, in one of the main roles and a show biz ‘legend’ in Danny la Rue to attract the mums and dads and grandparents. However Gemma James is in true traditional mode, very pretty, dressed in pretty ‘rags’, a sprightly dancer with a fine singing voice. Popular Breakfast DJ Tony Wright and the show’s director Brian Godfrey give us two grotesquely voluptuous Uglies, and Powys and Jones provide the slapstick as Broker’s Man and Baron Hardup, Cinder’s dad. Two interchangeable young men, handsome in both looks and voice, Duncan Breeze as the Prince and Craig Ryder as Dandini, complete the team with the energetic dancers complemented by the charming young Olive Guppy Olivettes. They all work, sometimes on their own and sometimes together to produce an offering that really packs a good old ‘show biz’ punch that has the ‘littleies’ laughing and yelling and the ‘biggies’ chuckling with the satisfaction of great value for their money. The front cloth is beautifully painted, anticipating further delights when it rises, its main feature is the dazzling slipper at its centre. A good-looking young man in silk stockings and breeches enters and announces the opening of the proceedings. This is the first break in ‘tradition’ where the villain is always the first to enter from the left-hand side of the stage, followed by the hero on the right. This device goes back to the old Mystery and Miracle plays of the Middle Ages where Hell lay to the left and Heaven to the right - sinister and dexter, these, of course were the source of all modern living dramatic forms. Today’s pantomime retains the moral story of good triumphing over evil and everything ending happily ever after. The word pantomime goes back, even further to the Roman ‘Pantomimus’, masked mimes that were great favourites of the emperors. From this derived the ‘Commedia dell’ Arte that flourished in Italy and then spread throughout Europe from the fourteenth until the eighteenth century. Here Harlequin and Columbine represented romance and Pantaloon confirms the elements of slapstick. The ‘stick’ to day is replaced by the expertly timed percussion instrumentalist. The complex scenery, often with magical mechanical effects came from the elaborate ‘masques’ of the Elizabethan era. Pantomime is musical theatre based on old folk tales. One of the first ‘modern’ pantomimes was staged by David Garrick at Dury Lane in ‘Jack the Giant Killer’. The first performance of the Cinderella story took place in 1804. Apart from the lack of a thigh-slapping Principal boy, this year’s Qdos production runs extremely close to form. Musical director Michael Morwood drives things along at a cracking pace, he has to, to keep up with the great energy of Benson Phillips who is a veritable whirlwind of movement and has the most plasticine face any clown could wish for. He has us all wishing that he should marry Cinderella. Danny La Rue’s Fairy Queen, yes he does milk the gag, but not too much, is a lesson in stage presence to everyone. Though the voice may no longer reach the highest notes, his sparkling dignity and warm manner with both young and old bring a highly polished touch that permeates the whole production. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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| Sincere, endearing and delightful | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue The Riverfront Newport |
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January 8, 2007 |
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| This is my third Panto this season, again here at the Riverfront’s second pantomime the eager atmosphere of anticipation and excitement, the waving light sticks and the rattling of sweet papers is as strong and as palpable as ever. The other two were in ‘big’ places; The New Theatre Cardiff and The Theatre Royal Nottingham. Although all three were very traditional in form they each had their own individual characteristics. In Newport it was the warmth of the characters and the very endearing nature of the telling of its story that entranced the audience, both young and old. What was so noticeable about this Cinderella was that due to the fact that the cast contained more then the usual number of really good actors as opposed to Variety Artist and Celebrities the characters were much more clearly drawn and believable. Richard Bardsley’s Baron Hardup was a real person who captivated the audience and gained its strong sympathy for his predicament. And what a predicament, with a terribly bossy wife, the wicked stepmother of the story, given a very strong and enormously boo-able performance by Julie Hobbs. Ooh we did hate her! He also had three daughters, two of them very ugly and scheming, BAFTA winner Brian Hibbard more than ably assisted by Lee Mengo were Germolina and Valderma. Beneath thier bright wigs and extraordinary costumes the minds of two very skilful actors were moving things along at a whacking pace and uproariously interacting with the audience and with everyone else on the stage. They personified the determination within the production to ensure that everyone had a really good time. The baron’s third daughter was a joy to him and Jacquelyn Kent’s Cinders was both a great joy to watch and to listen to. She may have been a very vulnerable and put upon character but she could dance and sing and move with great verve and fun, as well as again being a very believable person drawing us all into the highs and the lows of her fate. Fairy Godmother Isla St Clair had magic on her side to help the goodies overcome the distractions of the baddies. She welcomed us into the fairy-tale world and immediately sent her glittering magic to fill the auditorium. In traditional, endearing rhyming couplets she introduces the main character in the story to us and magics herself off stage to be ready when the going gets too tough for Cinders and her boyfriend and for all of us in the audience, willing them on to a happy ending. The kids in the audience certainly love Barnaby’s Buttons, with his ever-growing gold ish in the corner of the stage helping us to greet him at every entrance. Whilst he may not have had the polished communication skills of the actors it did not matter, the Newport kids were always one jump ahead of him and were in stitches at his jokes long before he had finished them. He did prove himself to be a very fine physical entertainer in the second half of the show. Ben Tyreman’s elegant Dandini was determined to see everything went well for his boss the prince. Alan Bowles’ prince was extremely charming, he also possessed a very fine singing voice and his duets with Cinderella were one of the many very fine highlights of this great show. It looked magnificent with great costumes and scenery. The young dancers, presumably from a local dancing school, were absolutely superb, odd that they received no acknowledgement in the programme. The hissing and booing, the rapport between artists on stage and the young audience on the other side of the footlights are a major part of the excitement of pantomime. Despite the production needing a bit more focus on this, Cinderella at The Riverfront was, for me, the most sincere, endearing and delightful Christmas show in South East Wales. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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| More posh panto than ballet? | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue Wales Millennium Centre |
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January 26, 2007 |
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| MAYBE it was just too close to Christmas and its surfeit of novelty, jollity and frivolity. Don’t get me wrong. This is an imaginative, visually wonderfully appealing production and the music of Prokofiev unfailingly intoxicating. But for all the magical ideas of designer Antony McDonald and choreographer Ashley Page this proved an emotionally-detached and oddly flat evening of ballet where, frankly, you had neither sympathy for old Cinders nor and loathing for her grotesque step-family. I thought at one stage that the show might be more attractive for children as it is filled with bright and at times whacky costumes, neat witty effects such as a SMEG-style fridge, vast piles of dirty dishes and a portrait with red glowing eyes. We have the traditional orange replaced by vast orange of wheels with an opening lid revealing allsorts of scrummy goodies. The Prince’s bedroom has aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling. The foreign princesses are displayed in a sort of high class peep show (well, maybe large picture frames?). But when the little girl in front of me let out an extremely loud yawn I sypmathised with her. Perhaps it is because what is most striking about the show is its novel look rather than concentration on dance, with the danger of dragging it more into the realms of posh panto than ballet. On the plus side I loved the way Cinderella travels to the ball in a pumpkin hot-air balloon rather than the conventional coach and the juxtaposing of the action from internal rooms to a fairytale palace garden worked very well. There was also sufficient grossness to bring the odd little squirm here and there such as the ugly sisters mutilating their feet with gruesome saws in a pathetic attempt to fit that magic slipper. There is no forgives in this fairytale as we have a dark ending with the ugly sisters reduced to broken wrecks pulling the stepmother in an invalid bath chair while in the background Cinderella and her Prince embrace. Those costumes are redolent of the style Vivienne Westwood introduced about 10 or so years ago, the big wigs, highly stylised outrageous takes on 18th century gowns and bodices. Similarly the men are preened in their wigs and frock coats, fortunately tailored to allow the freedom of dance. Back to the dance. It takes quite a while before we moved from introducing the characters and explaining Cinderella’s predicament to finding out what these dancers can do. Fortunately when called upon the Cinderella of Claire Robertson rises to the occasion as a charming and delicate dancer. While her prince Erik Cavallari is dashing enough his showpiece aerial displays were secure rather than sensational. Eve Mutso, Patricia Hines and Louisa Hassell proved witty character dancers as the stepmother and stepsisters in a show that emphasises their vulgarity and ridiculousness rather than cruel. The whole evening is a more satisfying affair when dance is allowed to take centre stage, particularly Soon Ja Lee as the fairy godmother and the delightful four contrasting season’s pieces from Tomomi Sato, Sophie Martin, Martina Forioso and Ruth Vaquerizo Garcia. Similarly the Prince and male companions execute a fine pas de quatre at the palace ball while our pair of fairytale lovers is suitably elegant in their pas de deux at the ball and the finale of the story. It is undoubtedly a visually engaging production and the lighting by Peter Mumford, particularly the transition from day to evening, is gorgeous. It is indeed witty and bold danced by a company that has re-established its credentials after a period in the wilderness. But this evening lacked the connection, intimacy and emotional link that I remember being very much in evidence last time I saw Scottish Ballet’s Nutcracker at the more modest Theatre Royal, the company’s home base in Glasgow. And indeed it was December. While WMC is a fabulous stage for dance on this occasion it may have been a case of simply swamping the show. But then maybe if this had been a Christmas rather than January show it would have sparkled superbly. It certainly deserves to. |
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| reviewer: Mike Smith |
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| Like a flat chanpagne cocktail | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue Wales Millenium Centre |
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January 28, 2007 |
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| One would expect from the combination of two ‘enfant terribles’ of the classical music world some mighty fireworks, even some mind-blowing bits of art. But here it is only Sergei Prokofiev, who from his earliest piano playing years made it clear that he was determined to break away from the romantic music of the Tchaikovsky school, under the confident and sensitive baton of Nicholas Kok, that emerges with any glory. Though even he is slightly diminished by Ashley Page’s confused choreography and muddled interpretation of the magic story. Page is an artist whose critical support is divided right down the middle with some critics who feel he can do no wrong and others who feel more frustration with his work than realisation. He has a difficult job to do. On its own ground Scottish Ballet, arising from its far-seeing innovative founder Peter Darrell, is regarded as a modern dance company. Like Darrell,Page has been honoured for his services to dance. Appointed Artistic Director in 2003 he has made some good headway in recovering the company’s fortunes from the low state it found itself in 2000. With some of its minor keys, Prokofiev’s Cinderella would seem the ideal vehicle to bridge the gap between the classical and the modern. It certainly lent itself well to Sir Frederick Ashton’s bold comedy approach back in 1948 with Moira Shearer and Michael Somes as the young lovers and Ashton with Robert Helpmann as the ‘Ugly’ sisters. Determined balletomanes will I’m sure find many moments to enjoy in this production. Quite legitimately, Page seeks to introduce a note of menace into the proceedings. But he seems to be unsure of how far to go and falls back onto comedy, where he clouds the cocktail. In a short introductory mime we see Cinderella’s real mother pass away. That is the only conclusion to draw but like much of the early narrative it is not as clear as it needs to be. The eighteenth century Westwood/Warhol inspired costumes looked great fun, worn by the evil trio of Soon Ja Lee as the wicked stepmother and Patricia Hines and Louisa Hassell, the sisters. Like most in this very able and enthusiastic company of dancers they looked as if they desperately wanted to go for it but were held back by the overall production, which looked distant and failed to completely captivate and raise hearts. Some moments of engaging dancing did emerge from under the blanket. Martina Forioso’s Autumn enlivened the stage early on and in the opening of the second act the entrance of the Prince and his Chevaliers emboldened the stage and got some of us sitting up. The sad retreat of the now self- crippled (but still the slipper wouldn’t fit) sisters and step mother indicated the black comedy elements, skirted around in the production that, fully embraced, would have really gripped and astounded the audience. Opportunities were missed. In preparation for the ball, a couturier entered with assistants carrying yards of pastel and brightly coloured materials, Prokofiev’s music implied that much more expansive fun and satire could be got out of this moment. Cinderella, delicately danced by Claire Robertson was ‘sickenedly’ treated by the females in her family, her mother’s ashes were rubbed into her face and hair, she was forced to eat her torn Ball Invitation ticket. The scene was not strongly enough embraced. Of course there was a happy ending but by this time not many of us cared. If this was a champagne cocktail, most of the bubbles had gone out of it. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue New Theatre, Cardiff |
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December 20, 2010 |
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| COMEDIAN Brian Connelly brings a touch of good old fashioned family humour to Cardiff’s panto this year with a Cinderella that has no cringe or cover- the- kids’-ears moments. I took a group of youngsters ranging from 15 to 6 and they all had a ball, laughing at all the jokes, joining in the usual banter and even I came away with a sore throat from too much yelling. No needs to go through the story which is nice and conventional so anyone who knows the fairy tale can keep up allowing for lots of asides, comedy additions and sing-along jollity. Conley has the role of Buttons in his blood and it makes the occasional fit of giggles all the more enjoyable. You then get comedy that frankly is lost on adults but kids adore. This year it was Dawson Chance as Baron Hardup and a horrible hand puppet Little Willy. I thought it was gross but the children laughed their proverbial socks off. Cardiff always has a great panto and this year was no exception thanks this time to fine sets, lavish costumes and the charm factor, such as the children from the Lorri Guppy School of Dance in pretty costumes and especially as woodland creatures in the enchanted forest. Darren Southworth and Brian Godfrey were splendid ugly sisters with marvellously inventive costumes and their dialogue stayed just on the right side of bawdy banter. I wasn’t too impressed by either Hadley Fraser as the Prince or Leighton Rafferty as his right hand man, Dandini, but they can sing and looked cute enough. No problems with the leading lady Amy Pemberton as she positively sparkled as Cinderella and got her prince in the end, oo er. Well, it is panto. Keeping an eye on the younger members of the pack it was the songs that left the toddlers most fidgety while they loved all the slapstick, the special effects and, not to spoil it, the magical ending. The older kids were just happy all the way through and the group left the theatre with a festive glow. Cinderella is running at the New Theatre until January 23. For booking details contact the box office on 029 2087 8889 or log on to www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk |
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| reviewer: Mike Smith |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue The Riverfront/Hiss and Boo |
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December 3, 2011 |
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Once again The Riverfront, side by side with Panto experts, the Hiss and Boo Company herald in this year’s Christmas happiness with their delightful and highly entertaining pantomime. With its bright and colourful traditional scenery and costumes, as the show dances from one scene to the next it feels like turning the pages of a huge book of fairy stories. And an excellent telling of the heart rendering rags to riches tale of Cinderella’s new found happiness this production is. Everything romps off to a lively start with Musical Director Rob Mitchell providing a whole host of amazing sounds from his keyboard. A flash of light and a very charming and disarmingly young Fairy Godmother is before our eyes and giving us an enchanting welcome to the absorbing narrative. In fact she gives us a summary of the twisting plot as a curtain raiser, introducing us to Cinderella and her two sisters, they seemed surprisingly nice at this stage, at a time many years before our story begins. A pint-sized Buttons tries to muscle in on the act but he is told his turn will come later. Another flash and she is gone. Later disguised as a friendly old harpy she does some very good character acting. Her comedy needs to be a bit sharper to begin with but very quickly Melanie Walters with her warm smile wins us all. Vivienne McMaster’s choreography moves everything speedily along. The children from Newport Schools have responded to her teaching with tremendous enthusiasm and make a really sparkling contribution to the show. Dancing with them is the central character in this twisting plot, Nichola Lagan as sweet and lovely a Cinderella as anyone would want. She sings and dances delightfully and radiates such pleasantness of personality that totally captivates. As our youthful hero, Prince Charming the handsome Rob Wilshaw is made for his role. All things being equal they will clearly make a great loving couple but things aren’t equal and Cinderella has a long road to travel. And if her horrible sisters Blodwen and Myfanwy have anything to do with it she will never get there. The ‘coarse’ acting from Lee Mengo and Richard Elis is great fun to watch; they make a remarkable knock-about double act and do a brilliant job of revealing to the huge young audience what a nasty, selfish pair they are. The fervent boos and hisses they have thrown at them are all in the great pantomime spirit that runs all through this show. They do get a bit too noisy at times but their bark is just as unpleasant as their bite. All the goodies in this show have an appealing charm and friendliness that imparts itself to the eager audience. Poor old Baron Hardup (Anthony Osborne) has an awful time with his two ugly, wayward daughters. He is a good sort but very easily put upon. Anthony Osborne gives him a very kind-hearted character who reaches fulfilment when he sees his other daughter find real happiness. Our Fairy Godmother isn’t the only one on the scene trying to smooth out all the nasty tricks the terrible two get up to. Cinderella also gets a helping hand from her friend Buttons who is very much in love with her but is quite reconciled when he sees her go off so wonderfully happy with her gorgeous prince. Keiron Self is a Jack the Lad Buttons who has a wonderful time with the young audience and they have a wonderful time with him. In true Welsh pantomime tradition he gets us all tongue-tied trying to master singing Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. It’s hard enough trying to spell it! Relief is at hand, the slipper fits and the sparkling coach magically appears and carries our new found friends off to a very happy ending. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue The Coliseum, Aberdare |
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December 7, 2011 |
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| IN much the same way as the Richter Scale was invented to measure the size of earthquakes, if an equivalent device was conjured up to quantify the excitement generated by children at a pantomime, then it’s fair to surmise boffins would conclude that seismic shocks were being felt in the Rhondda valley throughout this performance. From the expert pen of acclaimed Welsh playwright Frank Vickery, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Cinderella certainly ticked all the boxes for prime panto fare. Slapstick comedy – check. Colourful songs – check. Larger than life characters – check. Audience interaction – check. Starring CBeebies’ presenter Alex Winters as Buttons, West End actress Gillian Elisa as the Fairy Godmother and Vickery himself as one half of the most outrageously kitsch OTT Ugly Sisters my burnt out retinas have ever clapped eyes on, this was a production choc full of laughs, music and fun. Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/showbiz/2011/12/06/review-cinderella-the-coliseum-aberdare-91466-29899292/#ixzz1fqEclD11 |
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| reviewer: Wales online |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue New Theatre, Cardiff |
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April 9, 2014 |
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Northern Ballet artistic director David Nixon has created an Imperial Russia-themed Cinderella where magic and illusion lies at the heart of the production. With glorious costumes, sharp, well-defined characterisation, special effects and choreography that makes the most of his talented ensemble and principles, he presents a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging evening. There was an unfortunate technical glitch on the opening night where one of the many the impressive set changes went array necessitating an unplanned pause, but that aside this is technically an impressive piece of stagecraft, with budget-defying production standards, and some of the transformations certainly left me wondering “How do they do that?” The transformation scene where the Magician provides downtrodden Cinders with a beautiful frock is the panto part of the story we all know and love. Here it is achieved without Cinderella making a quick dash to the wings to change costume while the kitchen range is niftily transformed into a sledge, pulled by white huskies that have been conjured up from three fur coats. Splendid stuff. Duncan Hayler’s post interval set for the party scene sadly looks more like a plastic marquee than royal court but the elegant costumes make up for this slip and the show’s charisma returns for the snow falling finale. Nixon moves away from Prokofiev’s music to a commissioned score from Phillip Feeney, played by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia, which is light and refreshing with strong use of percussion giving the Russian-esque feel which is reflected in Nixon’s exotic choreographic touches. This also allows for an imaginative ice skating scene and a charming winter fair populated by stilt walker, acrobats and, of course, a magician, who in this take becomes Cinderella’s “fairy godmother”. The dance is strongly narrative and inventive and while it may not get the hairs of the back of your neck on end it is always clean, secure and perfectly executed. Nixon also plays with the evil stepmother character, explaining her vileness to Cinderella by having the girl (wrongly) blamed for her father’s death which is really the fault of the two sisters. He also has the prince at first rejecting Cinderella when it is revealed the girl of his dreams is working in the kitchens – but he sees the error of his ways and love conquers all. Lucia Solari is an elegant and refined Cinderella matched by Javier Torres as her Prince with great stage presence. Jessica Morgan retained my attention with every step she took as the stepmother while Tobias Batley similarly delighted as the Magician. |
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| reviewer: Mike Smith |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue New Theatre, Cardiff |
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December 19, 2014 |
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| By Mike Smith One of the delights of not having children is taking other people’s little ‘uns to the panto, enjoying their laughs, shouts and often chocolate and ice cream induced excitement, without having to try to explain the complete weirdness that we have just experienced. Panto doesn’t come any zanier than this year’s festive frolicking at the New Theatre with not only the usual mixture of cross dressing men, double entendre jokes, TV faces alluding to their on screen day jobs but also a former rugby international who delights in being as camp as Christmas. What you can always also rely on from the lovely New Theatre is a show of the highest quality, sumptuous costumes and sets, clever special effects, a strong cast of performers, thankfully lots of live music and singing and dancing, all of which combines to be a delight of live theatre. One of my Christmas treats is just seeing a theatre packed with people of all ages loving a performance and not glued to their television of electronic game device. The big names of this year’s panto are the now former player Gareth Thomas and former talent show winner and now TV soap actor Lee Mead. I have to say I felt a little sorry for Mead as it was clear the former Welsh rugby international Thomas was the main local interest as Dandini and rather upstaged Prince Charming whenever they shared the stage. The former has the singing voice and boyish charm while Thomas (clearly loving every minute and extremely enthusiastic) can make jokes about odd shaped balls, his ‘conversion’ , ice skating and show off his tattooed torso. I’m not sure if any of the kids in the audiences had a clue what he was going on about but that’s for the parents to explain. Mead doesn’t really have much to work with as it is a bit of a dull role being the sugary sweet Prince Charming and references back to the TV show searching for a new Joseph in the sing-along musical is wearing a bit thin. I don’t watch Casualty so maybe he is better known than I realise. Thomas on the other hand has gained fame for challenging the heterosexist image of a rugby player but then vamped it up in this show. Were it not for his gym created physique, which he shows off in probably the funniest part of the panto, we were in danger of having oodles of gay stereotypes reinforced rather than challenged. But then this is panto so not to be taken seriously – I hope. As Cinderella Holly Bluett plays it straight with no gimmicks, like Mead she has a nice singing voice, is appealing with pretty looks and charming acting and proves the perfect counter to the over-the-top ugly sisters. These were played by the husband of evergreen Linda Lusardi, our sparkling Fairy Godmother, and panto director Sam Kane and our ever popular Mike Doyle. Kane and Doyle were excellent and they hit just the right level of humour that would appeal to adults while also keep the children thoroughly entertained. Again the glue that held the panto together was the lovely comedian Andy Jones as Buttons. It’s best I don’t tell any more of the jokes or spoil the fun such as telling you about the “If I wasn’t in panto” routine so just go and grab a ticket and enjoy the seasonal silliness and see the kids enjoying live theatre. Until Jan 18 Tickets are available from 029 2087 8889 or via wwww.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk |
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| reviewer: Mike Smith |
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| A panto to chill you out and cheer you up! | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue Swansea Grand Theatre |
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December 26, 2008 |
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| Oh yes! Forget the omnipresent "credit crunch", abandon all glum thoughts and tune yourself into this warm and winning pantomime which promises to work wonders for the Grand's box office takings during the dark weeks of winter... oh yes it will! This one cannot possibly go wrong, and is lovely stuff by any standards. The big draw, of course, is Su Pollard, whose portrayal of nasty old Baroness Hardup plays against type and gets the crowd worked up in the best possible way. To describe her performance as fabulously larger than life is an understatement. Take it from me - this woman is a gem, if not a national treasure. What you see is what you get. And what you get here is worth every penny. Chris Jarvis(of CBeebies fame), stars as Buttons as well as being the director of the show: his performance is a revelation, and it is clear that he has worked hard to capture the "local" flavour so beloved by Swansea audiences, working closely with Grand favourites Kevin Johns and Frank Vickery(both of whom excel as ugly sisters Britney and Paris)and Nia Jermin, who scores a major hit in the title role. It is so good to see a visiting performer making such an effort to fit in with the local scene, and I strongly suspect that Jarvis will prove to be enormously popular not only with the ticket-buying public but also with the staff of the theatre - always a good sign. Sarah Thomas shines as the Fairy Godmother - mainstream TV viewers will know her as Glenda from Last of the Summer Wine,which is no bad thing but here she is given every opportunity to stretch her comedic wings. Excellent performances, too, from Craig Tyler(Prince Charming) and Gavin Lee Rees(Dandini). Musical direction is safe in the hands of the ever-reliable Griff Harries, with the younger performers being members of the Grand Theatre School of Dance and Drama. By any standards, this has to rate as one of the finest and most focused pantos to have been staged at the Grand for a while. Even before the run began, there was as an unmistakably positive buzz surrounding the show - no bad thing, and a sure sign of quality. |
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| reviewer: Graham Williams |
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| MATTHEW BOURNE AND HIS NEW ADVENTURES TEAM CREATE BEAUTY AND WONDER OUT OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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venue Wales Millennium Centre |
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April 3, 2018 |
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| Maybe it was that Prokofiev composed his sweeping and dynamic music at that time also played a part. In this spectacular, grand filmic production with its surround sound we are totally drawn into the horrors of war and into the life of the very real people we see on the stage. But before we meet the people we are blown away by Lez Brotherston’s Olivier award-winning, commanding set design, with its searchlights and crashing buildings creating a strong feeling of the times. Neil Austin’s lighting design also plays an important part in completing the picture. Here Prince Charming is a wounded RAF officer who seems to haunt us and our little heroine from much earlier in the tale than usual. The magic of Will Bozier’s performance grows as he dances his way into Cinderella’s heart. We meet the family in their home. Cinderella looks after her wheelchair bound dad and is forced to carry out demeaning chores by her wicked step mother and her two ugly sisters. You can always depend on Matthew Bourne’s dancers being equally good actors and this is very clear from the start. Cinderella’s sisters are not ugly but Sophia Hurdley and Nicole Kabera give them an elegant haughtiness that the choreography captures perfectly. Stepmother, Anjali Mehra is very naughty but she is also a lush and dances ‘drunk’ in a very amusing manner. We don’t have a Fairy Godmother either. We do have a very enigmatic Angel, Liam Mower who, in his white suit and hair does dance with a heavenly allure as he guides Cinderella towards her happiness. Ashley Shaw’s transformation from complete shyness to contented wife is superbly danced, drawing a few gasps and tears from us along the way. Her work together with Mower’s Angel is an almost overwhelming joy. She also gives us a very clever and highly amusing ‘routine’ with a tailor’s dummy. As Bourne’s choreography skills continue to develop he demands some movements from his cast that seem impossible. His dancers always respond well to these challenges, always fitting them well into the emotion of the story. Of course, as a result of Angel’s necromancy Cinderella does go to the ball and he finds her the most glamorous, diamond sparkling dancing shoes. It all happens in London’s Café de Paris with Alan Vincent’s Bandleader giving us some great moments of humour and the company more of their wonderful ensemble dancing, though that’s too small a word for the brilliance they achieve. More brilliance follows as the ballroom is hit by enemy bombs and the stage is reduced to complete rubble. Cinderella, now confirmed her relationship with her recovered hero. They share a bed together in a small lack-lustre room but she is badly hurt and taken off in a stretcher. But soon all is well. We see that they are married. It’s Paddington Station not St Pancras and our two lovers do go off together. Phew! We have experienced one of the finest achievements of theatre art. Can it be equalled? We shall see when Matthew Bourne brings us his next production. 'til 7 April |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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| BIRDS AND BIKES AND MAGIC | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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[print] |
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venue Riverfront Newport |
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May 11, 2018 |
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| Once again Artistic Director/Choreographer, Darius James, with his excellent dancers weaves that special magic that is one of the delightful gifts, the multi-award winning Ballet Cymru always offers us. This production, first seen in 2015, has a darker magic. The wonder begins as we come out of the darkness to see a front cloth of delicate lace with white doves seeming to fly across us. The ghostly white leaves fall from the tress. This picture disappears and as a result of Chris Illingworth giving us more magic with his excellent lighting we see the autumn leaves giving us a warm russet glow from the forest floor. There’s more new ‘magic’ coming from the orchestra pit. Gone is the traditional Prokofiev music, replaced by music specially commissoned for the production by contemporary composer Jack White, who has recently completed a PhD in composition at Cardiff University. This has enabled the choreographer and composer to work very closely together melding music, dance and feeling into a perfect harmony. This becomes very clear when we learn that Cinderella’s mother has not long died and we see the sad beauty crying over her mother’s grave, set amongst the trees. Beth Meadway’s hard-pressed waif dances the role so well and we see a sadness in her eyes that quickly endears us to her. Her father, warmly and elegantly danced by Daniel Morrison, introduces Cinders to her new Stepmother, Aerona and to her new Stepsister Seren and Stepbrother Cas. They are very wicked towards our heroine, making her do all the work around the big house and beating and kicking her with aggressive and some times comic, perfectly timed dancing. Just in passing we see the young Prince riding a bicycle through the forest. His best friend, Maldwyn meets him there. Prince, Robbie Moorcroft and friend, Miguel Fernades perform a neat Pas de deux, it quickly becomes a Pas de trois as the bicycle gets involved. The nasties continue to harass Cinderella. Eka Mastrangelo as the wicked Stepmother brings a tremendous vitality and strength to her performance and her children danced by Maria Teresa Brunello and James Parratt as well as their unpleasantness bring us some moments of jolly laughter. But there’s not much laughter when the invitation to the Prince’s Ball arrive. We all know there’s no chance of Cinderella going but her Stepmother taunts her in her iniquitous way and tells that she can go if she picks up all the lentils she has just spilled all over the kitchen floor! No chance, you might think but here James waves his magic wand again. A friendly flock of birds, some of them flying down from the sky, (By virtue of more wonder from Citrus Art circus.) lead by Krystal Lowe who brings us a very strong sense of character and great presence, the delightful ensemble pick away and the lentils all disappear. They find her a dress. And in a moment she takes us with her to the ball. Here we see Ballet Cymru’s great ensemble fill the stage. Bright lights, music and joy. Prince, Moorcroft, does a great job chasing Cinderella around the ballroom but she disappears, leaving only that iconic slipper behind. And the hunt is on. Stepmother, Mastrangelo primes her daughter to try on the slipper – too small. Soon puts this right, she takes a butcher’s clever and cuts off her daughter’s toes, all to no avail. Somehow she gets her son involved, more blood as she chops his heel off. Again to no avail. The inevitable matching up of the owner of the slipper inevitably leads us back to the bright lights and magic of the complete vitality and wonder of this tremendous energetic ensemble bringing joy to our hearts. |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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| “THE FAIRY GODMOTHER OF ALL PANTOMIMES” | |
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Cinderella
by Charles Way
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[print] |
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venue New Theatre Cardiff |
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December 10, 2019 |
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| Gok Wan’s name is on the top of the pantomime poster: experiencing his great performance and seeing the way in which he so totally captivates the audience, he has every right to be there. Although this is a show of many sparkling stars. Teleri Hughes is a joy, both to watch and listen to. She gives us a Cinderella full of charm and delight and we all feel for her when things aren’t going too well. But it all turns out fine in the end. Gok Wan as her Fairy Gokmother sees to that. It’s easy for us to see why see was nominated for Best Actress in a musical at the Stage Debut Awards in 2018. As a former student of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, I think we can claim her as our own. We have two other ‘locals’ who also give fabulous performances as the baddies. The first time we see them, they do enter from the right side of the stage in real Pantomime tradition. Mike Doyle and Ceri Dupree whose ‘day job’ is a female impersonator make an absolutely nasty and hilarious pair of ugly sisters. As the show goes by they change into the most extraordinary and bizarre and glorious costumes all designed by Ceri Dupree. We all do enjoy the hilarity they create but they are very nasty to Cinderella. Keeping her scrubbing the floors over and over again. She does have a good friend to help her. A kindly, very lovable young man, Buttons (Phil Butler). A performance full of softness in his feelings for Cinderella but great fun at other times. Comedy scenes with him and the two uglies are cleverly done and have us all rolling in our seats. There is more than these excellent performers to entertain us. Musical Director Michael Morwood, with his five-piece band drives everything along with great verve for much of the time. They also underline the more gentle vocals with just the right touch of sensitivity. As always Qdos gives us great and sparkling set designs. Choreographer and Assistant Director, Alan Harding introduces fast and furious dancing not just from the excellent dancers but also from the very young people from Cardiff’s Lorri Guppy School of Dance. Stage lighting is very important in pantomime, often providing moments of real magic. Another perfect job from lighting designer Chris Davey. The whole show is put together with a bold sweep from Director Matt Slack. It’s a bit like having two handsome princes for the price of one. Rob Wilshaw’s Prince Charming and Dale Evans Dandini have great singing voices and the looks to charm everyone . Cinderella does make the right choice. The Fairy Coach makes a great surprise entrance. In her sparkling frock and sparkling slippers that fit, Hughes’ Cinderella looks as if she has come straight out of a Fairy Tale as she takes her bow with her Handsome Prince and all the cast of wonderful people who have given us all wonderful treat. All from the swish of The Fairy Gokmother’s Magic Wand. The audience rise from their seats in applause and snow falls over us all. We also sang “Happy Birthday to You” to the New Theatre. On this day The New Theatre was celebrating its 113th Birthday The Pantomime continues until Jan. 12 2020 |
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| reviewer: Michael Kelligan |
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