It’s December, which means my house is full of presents underneath the tree in the corner of the living room. It means there’s a little clock on the shelf which belts out Christmas songs every hour. It means that the kitchen is filled with the smells of Danish Christmas treats. Most of all though, it means jumping back into those traditions that we’ve created for ourselves.
One of my Christmas traditions is going to a pantomime. This year, once again, I went to the Groundlings Theatre’s production of Cinderella.
The theatre, based near Gunwharf Quays, brought the much-loved tale to life as the company’s resident director Richard Stride took to the driving seat, once again with a mix of professional actors and local amateurs working together to create the magic that is pantomime.
It was Lara Sas who brought the title character to life, quickly making the audience fall in love with her. Sas offered a refreshing portrayal of the classic character, discarding some of the expected to create a complex character.
Opposite Sas was Lisle Des Landes as family-favourite Buttons. The first of the company’s seven professional actors to take to the stage, Landes was charismatic in his delivery and had a thorough appreciation of the wants and needs of his audience. We are meant to look fondly on buttons, but in Landes we see more than Cinderella’s idiot best friend; we see – in some manner – ourselves, willing Cinderella to have her happy ever after.
Despite strong acting throughout, the show was not without its faults. Technical aspects had a tendency to distract from the action on stage, with the lights a little too low and the sound a little too high. There was no reason that the show couldn’t be enjoyed through these. There was enough energy on the stage to make up for the fact that it was, at times, a struggle to see or hear exactly how that energy manifested. It is still early in the production’s 62 show run with plenty of time for this to be ironed out.
A pantomime is not a pantomime without a dame, and Cinderella treats us to two of them. Russell Meyers and Matt Ian Kelly played Tequila and Rose, the ugly stepsisters. They were the most natural double act in the show. In fact, one could be forgiven for thinking Meyers and Kelly were truly trying to insult each other at every opportunity – especially judging by their reactions.
The company is also joined by Ella McCready as the Fairy Godmother, Michelle Alexandra and the Baroness, and Tom Taplin and Prince Charming.
Groundlings Theatre’s Cinderella is an ideal way to spend a couple of hours over Christmas; full of jokes to laugh at and songs to sing along with.
Cinderella runs until Sunday 6 January at the Groundlings Theatre. Performances at at 11am, 3pm and 7pm on Saturdays, and 11am and 3pm on Sundays. Weekday performance times and vary.
There is a relaxed performance on Wednesday 2 January at 11am.
Tickets are available from the theatre by calling 023 9273 7370 or by going to groundlings.co.uk.
Peter Marcus 