Cinderella

Published Thursday 21 December 2006 at 12:35 by David Self

Strong on sentiment, short on slapstick. With some show-stopping numbers and little traditional business, this is as much a romantic musical comedy as a stereotypical panto. It is none the worse for that - children and adults alike are rightly captivated by Grace Rowe’s lovesick Cinders and her dream of marrying the handsome prince, a genuine leggy principal boy played by Tiffany Higgs.

Not that the show is short on humour. Ian Jones is a hyperactive Buttons who bonds well with the younger elements of the audience while Antony Stuart Hicks (probably the youngest professional dame in Britain) and Craig Glover come into their own as two bitchy Ugly Sisters, once they are given a chance in the second half to work the adult sections of the audience. A double act to watch.

The music may be pre-recorded but with sets that fill the stage, plenty of costume changes and a genuinely effective transformation scene, including real white ponies, it looks lavish. Despite being very much an ensemble production, it is the Hammond Dancers - a troop of youngsters including three teenage lads with an impressive range of styles from ballet to rock - who come close to stealing the show.