Anticipating that this production is going to be carried by the Ugly Sisters, I am surprised when the entire cast pulls off a truly polished performance, from Cinderella right down through the village folk (the Lisa Jayn Dancers) to the tiny fairies (Arnould School of Dance and Drama).
But it has to be said that Mark Two and Jamie Steen as Ravishing Rita and Wicked Wanda are special. The audience is in a quandary at several points, applauding their costumes and suddenly remembering it is supposed to be booing and hissing.
The scene in which they have Cinders tear up her ticket to the ball is Theatre of Cruelty for the Facebook generation. I hope the younger members of the audience remember this night.
At the other extreme Andy Pelos gives us the most moving Buttons I’ve seen for ages - and not just because Samantha Dorrance is heart-breakingly exquisite as Cinderella.
He has a good voice, does a great Michael Jackson, builds a good rapport with his ‘gang’, but milks beautifully the pathos of Cinders going off with Prince Charming.
Tom Yeates as the prince also has a strong voice and stage presence, so you can’t blame Cinderella.
The slick choreography, especially given the small stage at Epsom, also contributes to the smooth feel of this show.
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?)
