Cinderella
Milton Keynes Theatre
13th December 2023
Although it doesn’t seem remotely possible, the festive season is back upon us again, which can only mean one thing for our theatres…..panto! That silliest and most uniquely British of traditions that throws all sense of “proper theatre” out of the window in a bright and bonkers attempt to bring some festive cheer to audiences during the dark evenings and cold weather. Milton Keynes Theatre is well-known for its high quality seasonal shows, bringing high production values and quality casts, and is hoping to continue this trend with this year’s pantomime, ‘Cinderella’, which runs until Sunday 14th January 2024.
Fronted by TV funnyman Brian Conley (in the role of Buttons), the classic story sees sweet neglected housekeeper Cinderella (Sarah Vaughan) yearning to find her true love while having to do all of the housework at Hardup Hall for her ugly sisters Tess (Ben Stock) and Claudia (Neal Wright). Meanwhile, dashing Prince Charming (James Darch) similarly longs to find his soulmate, so swaps places with his manservant Dandini (Owen Stringer) and arranges to hold a ball to find the woman of his dreams. Godmother-in-training Fairy 312 (Lucy Conley) uses her magic to ensure Charming and Cinders meet and fall in love, but, this being a pantomime, things take a delightfully wacky turn through random pop sons, silly sketches, deliberately bad jokes and sleighfuls of heckling and participation from the audience.
Milton Keynes Theatre’s panto reputation remains safe for another year, as director Kathryn Rooney has delivered a production that not only looks fantastic, but is a great deal of fun as well. All of the staple panto scenes and traditions are on display, performed with a hugely warm sense of self-awareness and with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Brian Conley pretty much carries the show, doing the lion’s share of the work (and thus also the laughs, no real surprise given the script is written by Conley himself along with Michael Harrison and David McGillivray). But it is a strong and funny script, with the jokes and double entendres coming thick and fast while also ensuring there’s plenty in there to keep the kids entertained as well. Some of the material feels incredibly similar to previous productions, not all of it quite lands (a couple of sappy original ballads break the show’s flow, despite being well-sung), and it could all be more fairly distributed (it may as well be called “The Brian Conley Show, also featuring Cinderella). Overall however, it’s an enjoyably silly adventure that entertains from start to finish. The production is also hugely impressive to look at, with a great set and some wonderful costumes (designed by Mike Coltman and Teresa Nalton). There is also an astonishing effect that closes Act 1 which is worth the price of the ticket alone, which looks incredible and really will make children believe in the magic of live theatre.
Conley is on very familiar ground doing what he does best, laughing at himself as much as the audience does. A true crowd-pleaser, we may have seen it all before, but he’s undeniably brilliant at it, even more so when he ventures off-script and engages with the audience directly. He’s such an all-consuming player in the production that it does sag slightly whenever he’s not around (which admittedly never lasts long), and it would be a much weaker show without him. Ben Stock and Neal Wright certainly look the part as the dragged-up spiteful sisters, but don’t match Conley in terms of laughs and could push the envelope a bit more. James Darch and Sarah Vaughan make a likeable central couple as Charming and Cinderella respectively, perhaps a little bland, but sounding in fine voice, as is Lucy Conley as the fairy-godmother. Recent graduate Owen Stringer also makes a great impression as Dandini, and hopefully this is the beginning a long career for him. All of the actors inevitably break character and get the giggles at various points, although its delivery may well feel quite pre-planned and scripted to more cynical audience members.
Panto isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but for many it’s an annual tradition, even being some people’s first introduction to live theatre, and ‘Cinderella’ is a good one to choose this Christmas. It has enough fun, colour and spectacle to tick most people’s boxes, and delivers an enjoyable couple of hours of entertainment. Stunning to look at, and well performed, it’s another success for Milton Keynes Theatre.
‘Cinderella’ runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Sunday 14th January 2024.
Performance runtime 2 hours 30 minutes including interval.
