This is a real extravaganza, gorgeously set and costumed and with a sugar confection of a transformation scene. Denise Pitter’s groovy Fairy sets the tone, perched aloft on a crescent moon to give an almost Puck-like commentary on events.
The story isn’t what matters here. Michelle Potter’s fun-loving Cinderella was never in any real hardship and though the Prince and Dandini play it as straight as they’re able to, this is Buttons’ show. It’s hard for the cast to keep a straight face around the mock-aggressive Brian Conley, who takes over whatever scene he’s in.
The Prince gets his hair ruffled, combed and sprayed by Conley’s disembodied hand as he’s wooing Cinderella. Spurned by her himself, he goes into an exaggerated mime of a thousand deaths, including disembowelling. He frequently falls into the pit. The audience are still in a state of collapse as he launches into a love song. “Shut it!” he bellows. “I’ve won awards for this!” And he goes on to prove he really can sing.
Couple all this with two of the best and most ridiculously clad Dames in the business, Peter Robbins and Nigel Ellacott, and it’s an evening of absolute mayhem.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Content is copyright © 2012 The Stage Media Company Limited unless otherwise stated.
All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)
