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Cinderella played by Esmé Sears with ugly sisters Chris Lindon and Stephanie Rutherford. Pictures: Robert Day. CinderellaDerby Theatre*** THE Derby Theatre once
again eschews the predictable seasonal appeal of pantomime by putting on
Mike Kenny’s adaptation of Grimm’s fairy tale
Cinderella
,following last year’s hugely successful production of
A Christmas Carol.
Director Sarah Brigham likes her players to be
multi-disciplinary, and this show boasts dancing, singing, and on stage
musicians. The core story is the much-loved one handed down over
generations. Cinders is having an awful time of things in the
kitchen with only rats for company, and the bullying of her step-sisters
to endure, then she learns of a Grand Ball, and is determined to attend,
there she meets her Prince, but all does not go to plan. Playing the central
role of Cinderella, is Derby-born Esmé Sears. She makes a fine job of it too, as
she does of the singing, particularly her big solo ballad
Gone. Her
nemesis, the evil step mother, is also a Derbyshire lass, Rebecca
Naylor, who revels in giving Cinders a torrid time. Mike Kenny’s twist is to have all the characters,
bar Cinderella, doubling up as rats, enabling a memorable first scene as
the long tailed vermin scuttle in through windows, down the chimney, and
up through trap doors. All armed with a variety of instruments, they
“rattle” through an original score bemoaning the life of a rat and
celebrating the efforts of those at the bottom of the social scale. The
efforts of the professional cast are augmented by a young school age
team who acquit themselves with talent, and distinction. The star of the show is Stephanie Rutherford as
“This Un”, one half of the ugly sisters playing opposite “That Un”. She
throws herself into the larger than life role, injecting much needed
comedy, pace, and energy into proceedings, as well as playing a number
of instruments, including a bass trombone. “That Un”, Chris Lindon, her ugly sister, playing
opposite her, is cast as a man. Chris plays it straight as a man in a
dress, a curious choice, as the histrionic excesses of the sisters, and
comic potential, is lost as a result. Composer Ivan Scott has
done a tremendous job creating an original score and assembling his
multi-instrumental rats as a band, occasionally playing alongside
backing tracks but also playing without.
Nobody wants to be a Rat
is the stand out ensemble number with a memorable melody, and witty
lyric. The absence of musical standards is bold, as the audience has no
familiar songs to relate to, but the energy and brio of the musicians
carries the day. The two set design by Nettie Scriven is
functional and effective, with good use of trapdoors and the iconic
chimney. Tim Heywood has produced a vivid, colourful, ragbag costuming
for the rats, although that is sometimes at the expense of their human
incarnations. Underpinning the production are life lessons
which endure. No-one likes to be left out of a party, families can be
horrible to each other, particularly step sisters and step parents. And
we all want to be loved for who we are, not judged by our clothes and
social station, a message which resonates at Christmas, and beyond.
The curtain call was
warmly applauded, with the children in the audience thoroughly enjoying
the rats. Cinderella
runs until Saturday 9th January. Gary Longden
07-12-15
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