I had the pleasure of watching ‘Cinderella’, a Storyhouse original production written by Samantha O’Rourke and directed by Hannah Noone. This production had the audience clapping and tapping their feet; whisking them away to a magical kingdom with a wave of a magic wand.
'Cinderella' is a well-known and popular story that we know so well, but this was not your typical Cinderella fairy-tale but instead came with a modern twist, with the Prince losing his silver shoe at the ball and Cinderella rocking out in her converses in comfort and style.
However, we still had the Fairy Godmother (Melinda Orengo), the evil step mother (Susannah Van Den Berg) and the King (John Holt-Roberts) who wanted his son to fulfil his duty to the kingdom and find a wife. Cinderella’s stepsisters were not ugly as we expected but instead were both kind and friendly even though one sister was led astray. The grand portrayal of this show outlined the fact that good always triumphs over evil in the end.
The costumes for this production were colourful and eye-catching, and matched the characters' personalities well. With all the cast multi-rolling during this production the costumes were a vital part and allowed the audience to follow the story. Cinderella’s iconic magical ballgown was cleverly created with a simple turn to change outfits, to give the elusion of magic. This dress itself was not what you would expect for Cinderella, but nevertheless it was a perfect fit for this adaptation.
The Fairy Godmother and the keeper of stories was a character who was loved by the audience. Orengo had great stage presence and narrated the story with talent and enthusiasm. She used great facial expressions to keep the audience engaged. Her costumes were outstanding and were a particular highlight for the production, an extra mention needs to go to the costume designer for the creativity and imagination for this exquisite costume design.
There were many love stories amongst the characters, which added a wonderful, heart-warming touch to the show. O’Rourke adds a lovely touch here by giving the Fairy Godmother a love story of her own with stepsister Lena (Sarah Workman). Workman is a comical genius, she has her lines perfectly timed to create maximum effect with the audience. Alongside her great facial expressions, we saw her many musical talents put on display.
The music for this production was spectacular, featuring iconic songs such as: ‘Love Shack’, Rolling In The Deep’ and ‘Night Fever’, the audience could not help but clap along. ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins was used to create an epic battle with the evil sorceress Debbie. The direction by Noone was cleverly done by having the cast move between scenes and becoming part of the band. Excellent casting choices here, as the talent on the stage was exceptional.
A shout out has to be made to Tasha Dowd. The great characterisation and multi-rolling were brilliant with lots of little details, Dowd gave an outstanding performance that had the audience roaring with laughter and wanting more.
The choreography by Paul Isaiah Isles was simple but effective. The movement for this production was fun and allowed audience members to follow along. I feel the dance ability on the stage was capable of a lot more and I feel the choreography didn’t allow for the cast to showcase their capabilities. At times I felt the movement did not meet the expectations of such memorable music numbers that we all know and love. It was great to see audience participation on stage; dancing alongside the cast.
The set for this production was innovative, from story globes lighting up the stage at the beginning, potato carriages, garden sheds and an enchanted forest appearing for the start of act 2. The use of the pyrotechnics, smoke-filled bubbles and balloons gave the audience a great immersive experience. The crew and technical team did a great job keeping all their show cues slick and tight, it was a shame their efforts were not mentioned in the programme.
What a feel-good production of 'Cinderella' it was, getting everyone ready for Christmas. With children arriving in their Cinderella dresses ready for the ball, waving their magic wands were not disappointed but were overjoyed with the magic. Great work from the Storyhouse team for putting on a great production.
Reviewer - Abigail Bradbury
on - 7.12.23
on - 7.12.23
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