Cinderella

"Stage is high - above head height of some in front row of stalls, though this row is set back from stage by about 1m. Side seats in rear stalls and circle restricted view due to the stage design. But most action front and centre. So more side view rather than lost view. Also one long scene where these seats have perfect view."

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Daughter and husband went to 'Cinderella' on Wednesday 1st September 2021 for the matinee.  We didn’t check and so didn’t realise that Carrie Hope Fletcher isn’t doing Wednesday matinees but I am told the other actor (I’m sorry, I don’t have her name - Georgina Onuorah, editor) who is playing the role on those performances was excellent. 

They sat in the circle, D42 and 43, right in the centre.  (Someone must have cancelled as we got those seats less than a week before.)  I asked for a seat review for you and could only get out of them that the view was really good and you don’t miss any of the action, it didn’t feel too far away, the seats are upright which makes moving along the rows easier, and they didn’t notice any issue with legroom so presumably it must have been good.  Oh, and the queue for the ladies in the interval was still really long …!
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Having waited a long time to see this show (4 cancellations), the fear is always that the show will sink under the weight of expectation.

Cinderella? It stayed afloat.

I'll start with the story:  We're all aware of the Disney version, I'm glad to say this show draws from there, but gives the story a modernist twist that is satisfying, dropping much of the saccharine (though I miss the mice, pumpkin etc. - perhaps not easy to fit into this reworking).

Cinderella is very much the odd one out in BelleVille ("The only girl that can't walk in high heels") - a town so lovely it has won the loveliest village award for the previous 49 years!   She is still suffering at the hands of Wicked Stepmother (played with hammy glee when we went by Michelle Bishop) and atrocious sisters (Georgina Castle and Laura Baldwin: If Made in Chelsea and TOWIE were cloned, this would be the result - they're a hilarious double act).

Her one friend is Prince Sebastian - brother of THAT prince, who just wants a quiet, unassuming life away from the glitz and glamour of royal life.

They keep their feelings for one another hidden.  But fate has a habit of getting in the way...

From here, the story takes a new direction, it uses the classic scenes (the ball, the glass slippers make an appearance, but in a new and interesting way), leading to a couple of new and satisfying conclusions.

In the first half, the pacing is uneven at times,  and the music likewise (though there are strong songs, especially the two lead's solos) as scenes are set.  The second half gets off to a spectacular start (I'll not spoil it here) and the pace here is much more even.

I was concerned at the portrayal of the Godmother as a plastic surgeon, but the storyline that grew from this was satisfying and the new direction worked.

The set is grand without being over the top (though oh, that 2nd half opening...), and beautifully lit.  But this really is a show where the actors draw everything they can from the script and score to make it work.

Other than the performers mentioned above, big shout out to Rebecca Trehearn as The Queen - she invokes the spirit of Queenie from Blackadder with aplomb and her scenes with Wicked Stepmother fizz as they play off one another with gleeful malice.

Gloria Ontiri as the Godmother.  Wow.  Just incredible.  Magnetic waves of power emanate from her, when she was on stage the audience were in hushed admiration and her applause a curtain call was immense and deserved.

Ivan Turco as Prince Sebastian.  His first lead since leaving drama school.  You'd not know.  This is a tricky role; gentle and unassuming against so many over the top characters, it could get buried.  But he plays it with gentle assurance (though, when he is called upon to push to the front he does it with a quiet strength).

And Gloria Tapp: 2nd Cover Cinderella... and making her West End debut just hours before our performance in the matinee.  Brava to this young woman. Her performance was assured and strong, full of sass when needed, tenderness when called for and she nailed every vocal demand made of her.  On this evidence she has a rich future ahead of her - her name on the cast list will have me interested in seeing other shows in the future.

Is this a vintage ALW show?  No. It's a little up and down at times (and there is one song that telegraphs a later 'twist', shame as it's one of the funnier numbers).  But it's fun, it gives the actors the chance to shine, there is a good mix of comedy and tenderness and a satisfying payoff.  Which is what you're looking for from a (reworked) fairy tale really.

Seat review:
M70 and 71: Well worth the money.  Very close to the stage, raised enough to make the view comfortable.  Only issue is you're at the side of the stage so the actors tend to be projecting front and centre.  But for all little stage geeks they're fun, as you can see the Orchestra "pit" up in the gods and you can see a tiny bit behind the scenes.”

Later visit: S54 and 55. The Gillian Lynne, being (a) a relatively modern theatre and (b) having enjoyed a refurbishment during lockdown gives good sightlines from pretty much anywhere in the theatre… once navigated the bewildering number of stairs (if you’ve seen Labyrinth, it feels like that, you climb endless stairs, only to find you’re not that far up).
Row S is a nice height and is on the same level as the door (which is handy for interval ice-creams).  S54 and S55 are quite central, just a little to one side, but give good sightlines - they lose the tiniest sliver of the top of the stage, I can’t envision a production (except perhaps “Kiss of the Spider Woman”) where this could ever be an issue.  The overhang from the Dress Circle does not interrupt. The rake is excellent; unless you get a basketball team in front you’ll not struggle to see over.  Legroom is decent, cushion comfort is supportive and fidget-free.  But for such a modern theatre, I did find the seats to be a little narrow - not uncomfortable, but more of a squidge - but my wife commented there is more than enough room, adding they’re amongst the most comfortable theatre seats she has sat in. Overall well worth the money, though if possible to get closer to the stage for the same money I would do so.

Bob Pickett