To quote another well-known show, Oh What A Night! The stars were out in full force for the opening night of Cinderella (quite rightly also known as The Fairy Godmother of all Pantos) at London's New Wimbledon Theatre, which hosted an evening of full glitz and glamour.
Right off the bat, a huge round of applause should be given to Speciality Costume Designer, Mike Coltman and Costume Designers, Teresa Nalton, Ron Briggs and Jon Brooking, the pieces looked like they belonged on Strictly Come Dancing....The lighting and set complimented the special fx. Lizzie Gee pulled out all the stops with the choreography and had children and adults dancing in their seats, especially with a cast dance that involved tricksy footwork and props!
Director Michael Gyngell is a very safe pair of hands at Cinderella and it shows - there are laughs-a-plenty, and highly interactive. The flying carriage and the magic it contained wowed everyone and the puns and ad libs were thrown around like the confetti that shot off at the end. A particular highlight for me was when the star of the show, Craig Revel Horwood, in full regalia, stepped onto stage and his wig promptly fell off - planned or not, it added to the humour of the evening.
Solomon Davy as the Prince, fresh from his first West End run showed his confidence and his ability to interact and Buttons (Pete Firman) was able to pick up the energy of the room, added in extra lines here and there, maintained eye contact and supplied the giggles throughout. However, the standout performance was Daniel Norford as Dandini - he is one to watch. Alison Jier is delightful as a cheery Fairy Godmother (can I give you my wish list?).
The best part of the night - where the children were brought up onto the stage...no spoilers here! This outing of Cinderella is delightful and a firm family favourite. Highly recommended, so much so, that I have already booked my tickets for a return visit.
It runs until 7 January.
Review: Kay Johal