Review: Cinderella – Festival Theatre

Since Gerard Kelly, Grant Stott, and the much-missed Andy Gray took the King’s Theatre stage in 2001, Edinburgh’s premiere panto has been in the hands of panto-production giants: first Qdos, and now Crossroads, since the latter acquired the former. A panto fan since knee high to a grasshopper, I haven’t always been a fan of the resulting bells and whistles productions, but this Cinderella, penned by Crossroads stalwart Harry Michaels along with Edinburgh’s venerable panto-dame Allan Stewart is a bit of a Christmas cracker.

Most importantly, the show captures the magic of the ancient story, keeping Cinderella (Amber Sylvia Edwards) at the heart of the panto where she belongs. This is the tale complete with Cinder’s nice-but-dim dad, Baron Hardup (Iain Stuart Robertson), a handsome Prince Charming (Will Callan), and Grant Stott’s wicked stepmother plus 2 not-so-ugly sisters played by Clare Gray and Gail Watson. There’s even time for an ‘It’s Behind You!’ or two – unknown in any Crossroads panto I’ve seen previously – more please!

Coming to Cinderella’s aid are Stewart’s Fairy Godmother, Fairie May, and the eternally friend-zoned Buttons, played by ‘Hiya Pals!’ enthusiast, Jordan Young. Long-time panto-collaborating headliners Stott and Stewart – and the recently recruited (2019) Young – enjoy oodles of good-time chemistry: the show is never funnier than when lines are occasionally flubbed, much to the amusement of the others.

“There’s even time for an ‘It’s Behind You!’ or two – unknown in any Crossroads panto I’ve seen previously – more please!”

The newest applicant to Edinburgh’s panto pantheon of headliners, Gray gets less exposure in this production compared to past appearances, but she and newcomer Watson still make a memorably rotten pair. You simply can’t have Cinderella without her awful stepsisters, and they provide them with grotesque joy.

Production shots from Cinderella – photos by **Douglas Robertson** – click to enlarge and for details.

Supported by a talented ensemble of singer-dancers, and a lively band under musical director Andy Pickering, this lovely bunch tell the familiar story with style, all wrapped up in reworked pop songs, unlikely dance battles, slapstick skits, and a warm, Edinburghian sense of humour. Panto has never been an innuendo-free space, but things never stray above a strictly PG rating either.

A kid in the theatre stalls for the first time is in for an all-singing, all-dancing, and funny treat as the band strikes up in a Festival Theatre auditorium awash with golden light from Rory Beaton’s projected clocks and stars. The glitter balls soon sparkle the place up even further, and it’s on with the adventure. When revealed, Ian Westbrook’s lush staging doesn’t disappoint – though one might hope for a little more local idiosyncrasy, even if only a lonely ‘gothic rocket’ somewhere in the background.

Nevertheless, the big opening number, ‘Newtown’ a take on Tony Hatch’s iconic ‘Downtown’, penned for Petula Clark, has the entire cast setting the scene with big voices and plenty of choreographed vim. Unwilling to let the pace fall, the script has our unfortunate Baron married to Stott’s wicked widow only moments later, sentencing poor Cinders to life under the boot of an odious stepmother and her avaricious daughters.

Stewart’s iconic dad-prancing fairy is soon at hand, opening with ‘Man, I Feel Like a Fairy’ with no apologies to Shania Twain, and ploughing on into Mariah’s songbook with ‘All I Want for Christmas is…Youth’ later on. At 84 the auld crooner can still hold a tune, and more importantly, he knows how to deliver it. Aided by Young’s delightfully idiotic Buttons, Cinderella will go to a royal ball and marry (if she chooses) her handsome, kindly Prince.

Indeed, where the fairytale heroes can sometimes feel like afterthoughts in a Crossroads production, the casting of Amber Sylvia Edwards and Will Callan as Cinderella and Prince, two performers with serious musical theatre chops, makes that impossible here. The two have plenty of stage time, and though it’s a whirlwind romance (is there any other kind in panto?), at least we get to know and like them. With Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ for an anthem, both have ample chances to show why National Tours and West End theatres have them in their sights.

“A kid in the theatre stalls for the first time is in for an all-singing, all-dancing treat as the band strikes…”

Stott’s ‘Big Tidy’ – Hibs-loving, Jambo-hating villain may not be much of a threat to our heroes, but no one’s having a better time on stage, or chewing more scenery than the BBC Radio Scotland stalwart. Along with Gray and Watson, he delivers the comic coup-de-gras of the show when blasting out ‘Fort Kinnaird’ to the eternal bop known as ‘It’s Raining Men.’ You’ll have to see it to appreciate the full glory of this ode to retail park commerce.

The first-act finale is also a showstopper beyond anything I’ve seen attempted at the ~~King’s~~ panto before. Cinderella’s magical glow-up continually ups the ante, with a stunning mix of ‘How did they do that?’ costume transformations, live animals, and animatronics. All I’ll say is look out Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Later in Act 2, look out for the bear – more I shall not say.

All of this isn’t to say there isn’t room for a little improvement. The extremely able ensemble goes a little underused throughout, not least in the final scenes when switched into their most glamorous outfits, only for the show to end soon after. Further, whilst thoroughly likeable throughout, the show never quite hits the laugh-out-loud hilarity as the Edinburgh panto has in past years – Jordan Young’s frustrated best-friend routine may be a little overdone in particular.

Nevertheless, director Ed Curtis demonstrates a sure hand throughout in this pacey but unrushed production. His stars have space to shine but not wallow in the limelight. Before you know it, the cast are waving goodbye, and it’s time to go home – like they say, time flies when you’re having a very good time.

Before those two hours have flown by, however, there’s still time for not only one, but two invitations for audience members to come up on stage. On press night, a very game Linda was first roped into a magic trick fated to go wrong with excellent comic timing, whilst three kids aged from 7 to 10, made an excellently chaotic band, for a very cute rendition of ‘I Am the Music Man’. In both cases, Stewart’s lively sense of humour, and easy way with people, placed the volunteers at ease and let them shine.

In the end, panto is theatre at its most people-centred, and it’s moments such as these, and a brief closing sing-a-long that cement the bond between the fairytale on stage, and the dreamers watching. Given the rapturous applause of the packed Festival Theatre audience on press night, that bond is as strong as ever. Romantic and silly, big and bold, this lavish take on Cinderella is a completely crowd-pleasing panto.

Featured Image: The Cast of Cinderella – photo by Douglas Robertson