Cinderella is back at the Yvonne Arnaud offering locals a glittering night out. Once again, the team have created a winter spectacle incorporating the traditional elements of panto while keeping the tone fresh but family friendly.
In the title role Clair Gleave is a sweetly confident Cinderella, treated horribly but self-possessed with a corny sense of humour, a fact appreciated by the charming but scatty Prince Harold. In what can often be a thankless role, Stanton Wright creates a well-meaning, enthusiastic royal, a thoroughly likeable Prince who while charming isn’t without fault. Together, they drive the story forward, a cute but not saccharine couple who come alive during their musical numbers.
Established Arnaud panto favourite Peter Gordon is joined this year by another familiar face from Guildford’s arty, glitterati: Matt Pinches, co-founder of Guildford Shakespeare Company. As Cinderella’s ugly step-sisters, they make a great comic team, Gordon the older, bossier and brassier Thelma to Pinches’s ditzy, nimble and vain Louise. Less evil and more simply self-absorbed, they land good and bad jokes with aplomb, provide silly slapstick and even some witty wordplay, mainly at Button’s expense.
Standing in for James Merry, Oliver White is an amiable Buttons at the mercy of Thelma and Louise and Baroness Hardup. As handyman for Hardup Hall, he’s a good friend to Cinderella and, without the unrequited love plot line, gains more laughs than ‘awwwws’.
But where would Cinderella be without her Fairy Godmother? Well, this Cinders is very lucky to have Claudia Kariuki on her side as a warm but no-nonsense guardian who opens both acts showcasing her smooth vocals and musical theatre pedigree. She weaves her magic to create a beautiful transformation scene ensuring that Cinderella does get to meet her Prince at the palace.
And there is no doubt that as Baroness Hardup, Lucy Benjamin is herself having a ball. Rather than a remote, imperious stepmother, she is instead something altogether nastier, a power-hungry ‘legitimate’ businesswoman not afraid to belittle and bully her way to the top. Her only true loves are the twin prizes of power and possessions, ably demonstrated by the Moulin Rouge-inspired rendition of "Material Girl" and "Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend", complete with sexy lifts and fawning backup dancers.
Morphing into waiters, villagers and courtiers, the animated ensemble deliver in every scene, Verity Holt’s energetic choreography filling the stage and giving the show an extra sparkle.
Dedicated to the memory of Kit Hesketh-Harvey, who starred in 11 Yvonne Arnaud pantos, Cinderella is a perfect treat, full of fun, upbeat musical numbers and plenty of chances to ‘booo’ and ‘ooohhhhh’—just how it should be in pantoland.