Review: Cinderella at Lincoln's New Theatre Royal
They say there's nothing quite like a pantomime at Christmas, but Cinderella at Lincoln's Theatre Royal is something a little different.
It is perhaps the most adult version of the classic tale that you might see — but with enough recognisable elements, cultural references and slapstick humour to keep the little ones happy too.
Having not watched a pantomime since I was a child I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, something wholesome and family friendly?
What followed was a show with so many adult themes, cut off swear words, double entendre and wink wink nudge nudge, it was as if Are You Being Served? was resurrected in a fairytale setting.
Set in Glamourville, a vain land where beauty and fashion are deemed the most important aspects of life, we are introduced to a cast of colourful characters by the Fairy Godfather (Jake Quickenden) who first appears as a tall, muscular, tattooed man in a ball gown and powdered wig.
In this production the evil step sisters take the form of Butox (Kerry Katona) and Filler (Natalie Hayes-Cowley) a pair the Fairy Godfather described as having more work done than Lincoln Cathedral.
The pair's real life daughters played the younger, imaginary versions of themselves inside of their heads as Baby Butox and Baby Filler.
Nothing says Christmas quite like mild sexual harassment and Botox, Filler and the evil step mother Goldina make sure to do enough of it to give Donald Trump a run for his money — avoid sitting within sight-line or suffer the same fate as poor George who got the brunt of their attention.
Buttons (Patrick Monahan) was everything you'd expect from the omnipresent Pantomime character, but what he was to the children what the Fairy Godfather was to the adults in the room, both ad-libbing, interacting with the audience and trying their hardest to make their cast mates break character.
They say you should never work with children, now imagine performing to a room full of them after they have been given permission to answer back.
Goldina, played by Arran Wilson, seemed the relish the opportunity to shout at and insult children in the audience.
As the two main characters, Cinderella and Prince Charming had the unenviable task of remaining the straight faced professionals even as the show swerved hilariously off script.
But what made the show was the way in which the unknown was embraced. Things that went wrong were used for laughs, children shouting lines too early or telling characters what to do, cast members messing up their lines and then complaining about their jobs. It was a delight.
The dance ensemble also deserve recognition as more often that not I'd be watching them interact silently in the background of scenes before seamlessly breaking into a routine
Sprinkle in a series of musical numbers featuring well known songs from artists such as Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble, Madonna and Lizzo performed wonderfully by the cast, especially the voice of Georgia Hayes-Cowley as Cinderella, and you have a recipe for success.
It was chaotic and crude, but at the end of the day that's exactly what you want from pantomime and I'd have it no other way. — FB
