NODA Review – January 2020
This entertaining original script follows the story of Buttons and Cinderella after she and the Prince are married. It has a lovely beginning with ‘The Wild Things’, a group of forest creatures, entering through the audience and singing a song, which recaps the story. We have Cinderella’s father and stepmother, the two ugly sisters, the Fairy Godmother, Buttons and of course Cinders, now Queen Ella, plus many new characters. I do not wish to retell the whole story but to say that Buttons has been left behind while the rest of the family are on honeymoon; there are some strange spells cast, one of which turns young ladies to biscuits; and an unexpected identity revelation at the end.
I liked the well-designed and constructed sets of the various locations in Hardupington Hall, and the well dressed sets for Filnore Wood, and The Temple of the Stars in the ancient Glastonbury Zodiac, all created by Geoff Gill and his team. There were several ‘front of tabs scenes’, which conveyed other locations and allowed for set changes behind, it all worked well. The lighting had been well designed to reflect the mood of the different scenes. The split stage scene and the follow spot worked well. The sound effects were appropriate and the music well timed. The choice of songs was interesting, with some accompanied by piano and others by backing track. There was simple well-executed choreography from Julie Cain in the ‘Mini Wild Things’ Dance; and lots of well co-ordinated movement throughout.
Alison Bagnall had produced or sourced, lovely well fitting costumes. There were plenty of ‘animal prints’ from the recent trip to Africa; recognizable ‘biscuits’; and grand frocks and uniforms for those requiring them. Fluffy, Buttons companion had a lovely ‘dog’ costume and the heads for the ‘Wild Things’ were amazing. The only thing I felt was not quite right, unless I missed something, early in the show the Fairy Godmother made a reference to ‘ethnic clothes and beads’ but she was not dressed like that, I liked her costume after her powers had been restored. The wigs and make up were effective, with the ‘Cruella Deville’ wig for the Baroness immediately establishing her evilness.
This group is totally inclusive with its pantomime cast and has a mix of ages performing and so there is a range of confidence and talents, with more experienced members helping those with less experience. Everyone entered into the spirit of the Pantomime and performed as confidently as they were able. The very young ‘Mini Wild Things’ were a delight and they performed with obvious concentration. The ‘Wild Things’ were played by a very talented group of young ladies who had clear diction and confidently portrayed each creature; some of them also doubled as the ‘biscuit girls’. Sam Stillman was convincing as the evil Baroness and had the audience reacting well. Jo Plumbley as Buttons gained the support of the audience and they shared in ‘his’ joy on finding Madelaine. Beth Wright as ‘Fluffy’, made a loveable canine companion for Buttons. Jenny Dennis gave a strong portrayal of the Fairy Godmother, who had a wand with kinks in it due to her reduced powers, but it and she recovered after a visit to the Guru, well played by Pat Morrissey. Eleanor Woodward as Madelaine, transformed well between young girl and a ginger bread biscuit. The Pinkly Blunders Brothers, in the service of the Baroness, were ‘hard’ men and they maintained their Birmingham accents well. John Thomson made a confident Footman announcing everyone clearly. Lucy Chippett handled the role of Queen Ella well, showing her newfound authority. The duo of Ugly sisters Bella and Donna played by Tony Mad and Peter Wiggins brought a good deal of outrageous humour to the show, and had fun making biscuits. The Baron played by Adrian Dennis, showed things had not changed much and was as henpecked as ever. All the other members of the cast were confident in their roles and apparently enjoying themselves.
Director Gil Gilroy had included topical comments and local references. He had worked hard with his cast to bring this Cinderella sequel to the stage, and enabled this enthusiastic group to entertain local people. There were one or two mishaps but they were well covered by the cast and gave the audience some extra laughs. Everyone, both cast and audience, had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Thank you everyone at Octopus.
Written: Caroline P Wookey
Director: Gil Gilroy
Choreographer: Julie Cain