Cinderella. Cambridge Arts Theatre.
With the Cambridge Arts Theatre set to close for a refurbishment of the auditorium in the new year, now is a great time to go and enjoy a wonderful panto that will inspire children to dream big. So come on, people of Cambridge, your carriage awaits – and it is a truly spectacular one!
Cinderella was the theatre’s very first home-produced pantomime way back in 1939. The story is brought bang up to date here, with nods to the cost-of-living crisis (“You know, the cozzie livs!”) and a certain Suella (no, Fairy Goodheart, we can’t remember her either!). Matt Crosby wears the trousers in this show (unusually for him), expertly winning over the audience (his “gang”) as Buttons in this, his 19th Arts Theatre panto. Endearing as Buttons may be, he is shirking his responsibilities, because he can’t bring himself to hand over a letter addressed to his great friend, Cinders…a letter from Harvard Admissions, no less! It could bring incredible news, but Buttons is worried it might result in Cinderella leaving their home: namely, Hard Up College, Cambridge.
Chloe Gentles gives a stunning performance in the title role. She is delighted to welcome her father, Baron Hard Up (played with gusto by Stuart Simons), back to the college after his travels, and tries her best to get on with her new stepsisters, Tess and Claudia. Gentles has great poise, a powerful singing voice and immaculate dance steps. In the ‘meet-cute’ scene with Prince Charming in ‘Newnham Woods’, we really get the sense that she is falling for him. She brings zest and verve to the role, supervising the Squirrels adventure group for children (they’re not actually squirrels, Buttons, it’s just a name!) and harbouring dreams of studying animal sciences at Harvard.
Harry Howle and Steven Roberts put just the right amount of venom and spite into the wicked stepsisters – they are the pair we love to hate. Their set-piece scene with Buttons in the doggy grooming parlour, complete with hot steam, thrills and spills, and pooches missing their cues, is a masterclass in slapstick. Let’s just hope everyone keeps their hair on!
Jack Wilcox is the perfectly coiffed and ever-so-slightly pompous Prince Charming, clad in royal purple along with his right-hand-man, Dandini. His rendition of the song Never Enough is superb and he manages to moves seamlessly from flawless, high-energy dance routines to scenes at ‘Twinity College’, in which he is princely and aloof. Alex Bloomer demonstrates his huge talent too as Dandini, conveying his frustration when the Prince claims the credit for all his best ideas.
The superb band deserve a mention, Alan Dale’s cymbals creating a suitably edgy mood when the stepsisters rip up Cinderella’s cherished dress – and her dreams of going to Prince Charming’s ball. Cue the arrival of Fairy Goodheart (played expertly by the beaming Julia J. Nagle), who attempts to save the day. The theatrical magic that ensues will really take your breath away. Cinders is bedecked in a dazzling outfit that is more sparkly than the entire US gymnastics team put together. As for the transport that is laid on for her, you’ll have to see it to believe it…let’s just say, it beats travelling by Uber any day of the week!
It comes as no surprise that this smash-hit pantomime was a winner at the 2024 Pantomime Awards: it is the finished article, from the set design to the costumes to the ensemble’s excellent dancing. Go and see it this festive season! Cinderella is on at the Cambridge Arts Theatre until 5 January.
Directed by Michael Gattrell and written by Al Lockhart- Morley
