Cinderella at the Gordon Craig Theatre Review
Cinderella
Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage
1 December 2013 – 26 January 2014
Reviewed by Rachael Farndell
I was really pleased to be asked to review the Cinderella pantomime at The Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage and knew my 3 year old daughter would enjoy it, being a fan of the story.
As we were going to the late show and I had not been to The Gordon Craig before we parked in the nearby Tesco and walked over, though I noticed there was a car park just outside as well. We had to go up a flight of steps to get to the entrance as the theatre is on the first floor of the building however there is lift access from the sports centre below. The foyer was busy with people of all ages waiting to see the show and there were tables and chairs for people to sit at while they waited. We were greeted by friendly staff at the box office who gave us our tickets and told us the way to the main hall. Just outside the theatre there is a bar area, toilets, a coat check and an ice cream stand. We didn’t have time to grab a snack before the show but during the interval saw that the prices are on par with other such places (£2 for a small tub of ice cream) and the toilets are kept very clean. There was also a stand selling programmes (we were given a complimentary one) and another selling flashing wands/spinners, which I managed to distract my daughter from seeing before the inevitable ‘Mum, can I have one of those?’!
We were directed to our seats by another friendly member of staff and sat eagerly waiting for the show to begin. There was a lot of excited chatter and even more flashing, spinning wands about. I did notice that some younger children were sitting on booster seats so they could have a better view but the rows aren’t cramped together, there is plenty of leg room and there is a good view of the stage.
We all know the traditional story of Cinderella and I won’t ruin any surprises but we both thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It began with an introduction by none other than Eastenders actress Gillian Wright who plays a ditzy, lovable fairy Godmother brought out of retirement and tasked to bring Cinderella and her Prince Charming together, all the while speaking in rhyme. Arguably the most entertaining character was Flora, one of the ugly sisters, played by Paul Laidlaw. There were many witty remarks between Laidlaw and Dereck Walker, who plays Marjorie the second ugly sister, which had me in stitches; this is one villain the audience loved! Hollie’s favourite character was the endearing Buttons, played by Scott Cripps, because he sang ‘I am the Music Man’ and was great with getting the audience to participate. She was completely entranced with the horse drawn carriage scene, it was very cleverly done.
The singing and dancing was brilliant, especially the tap dance by Prince Charming and his valet Dandini, the music was modern and had us dancing in the seats, all in all a fantastic show for all ages, the cast were all talented, would definitely recommend it.
The only slight drawback we had was the flashing wands, there was one in the row in front of us and it was quite distracting having it waved about during the performance, though the children clearly loved them. There are a few strobe effect lightings and small fireworks which made my daughter jump but it wasn’t an issue.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets cost from £15.50 to £21.50, Family Tickets for 4 costs £66.
For more information or to book your tickets click here.
