Review by Lauren CB
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
First off, a big thank you to the wonderful Front of House staff at Loughborough Town Hall; a special mention to Holly, who made me feel very welcome and safe after an incredibly stressful journey to the theatre! Holly went above and beyond and I want her to have recognition for that. Another shout out to Daniel; an usher who took a busy gala night in his stride, doing the whole thing with a smile on his face and a confidence that put us at ease.
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| Emma Robertson as Cinderella |
It’s easy to see why Emma Robertson as our protagonist Ella won ‘Best Newcomer to The Industry’ at this year’s Pantomime Awards. Leading the company with a West-End ready voice and a real sweetness, she was a joy to watch and a complete star. Elliott Evans as Prince Charming was refreshingly down-to-earth with zero tolerance for the sisters’ rudeness with some brilliant one-liners. Shona Eaton as Baroness Helen was everything you could expect from a wicked stepmother, fearsome, spiteful and demanding, yet Eaton brought a certain grace and enchanting beauty to the role, giving Helen a ‘femme fatale’ persona.
Harry Polden as Buttons is a true pantomime pro. From his first entrance, we knew we were in safe hands with him. He was everything you could expect from Buttons, and more, winding the sisters up something chronic, bringing the audience in on his pranks and caring for Ella in such a selfless, heartfelt way. It was fun being encouraged to sing along to ‘B-U-T-T-O-N-S’ (to the tune of ‘Hot to Go’), but the timing does need some fine tuning. Children behind me had finished singing before the introductory phrase had finished, and Buttons was on stage leading us, yet we were supposed to be calling him on from backstage. The company should play with this in the coming weeks and trust that the audience will sing without a guide.
Beryl and Feral (Luke Adamson and Matthew Siveter, respectively), delighted the audience throughout with outrageous costumes and naughty jokes. As Ella’s Ugly Sisters they almost played their role too well; I struggled to watch their bullying of Ella and then laugh along with them after, but they did learn from their ways and promote the importance of being kind, a vital message for the children watching. Siveter’s opera background came through when the sisters sang and he lead the delightfully funny ghost sequence with great comedic timing and a strong voice. Myself and the rest of the audience enjoyed the surprise at the end of this scene! Siveter’s improvisational skills were on point when recovering from mistakes, making them comedic, and I even caught him causing Prince Charming (Evans) to corpse, which was too funny to see. It's clear why he has become a crowd favourite here in Loughborough, and he reminds the audience why it is a treat to watch him perform.
Sadly, one of the sisters’ scenes felt quite messy. ‘The Wellness Centre’ scene didn’t know what it wanted to be. Were we at a gym, or a spa? I know plenty of people who consider going to the gym therapeutic, but Beryl and Feral didn’t seem the type. They also almost overdid it with the Taylor Swift references here.
Fairy Godmother’s (Davina Manuel-Mokwenye) opening rendition of ‘One Night Only’ was an instant mood booster with her powerful voice, and Prince Charming (Evans) and Ella’s (Robertson) duet to ‘You Belong With Me’ by Taylor Swift was lively and fun with both of them being strong musical theatre performers. Some of the music choices, however, did feel somewhat outdated. ‘Physical’ by Olivia Newton-John, ‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ all feel overused and predictable in pantomimes at this point. I’d love to hear some unexpected choices, for example the company’s finale rendition of ‘APT’ was brilliant, up-to-date, and made us want to get up and dance!
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| Matthew Siveter (Feral), Emma Robertson (Cinderella) and Luke Adamson (Beryl). |
Unfortunately, this show was quite let down by the wardrobe department. Whilst Ella’s iconic dress change did not disappoint, I felt that the characters of Dandini (Ash Weir) and Baroness Helen (Shona Eaton) were short-changed. The age-old Shakespearian trope of a woman disguising herself as a man in order to get a job/get closer to the object of her attraction is all well and good, but it seemed like wardrobe missed the memo that Dandini was supposed to be a believable cisgender man. Whilst theatre is an open-minded community and panto is known for subverting gender norms for comedy, it felt confusing and rushed rather than comedic or inclusive.
When Dani dashed off stage to change into her ‘twin brother’ Dandini, she/he returned wearing a tunic-like garment that almost resembled a woman’s t-shirt dress, and with bare legs. Dandini was so feminine that it seemed truly ridiculous (and not in a funny way) that only Prince Charming couldn’t see that she/he was really a woman. At the ball in Act 2, Dandini wore the same style tunic but this time it was pink with flowers; it was unclear whether Dani had returned or whether she was still ‘Dandini’. And multiple times characters commented that Dandini was wearing fishnet tights. Which was confusing, because Dandini’s legs were bare for the whole show. All of this was a real shame, since Weir as Dani/Dandini was funny, warm and charismatic. I particularly enjoyed her MI5 style gymnastics in Act 2!
Baroness Helen’s Act 1 outfit was really just too simple. ‘Baroness’ suggests status and nobility, but her daughters’ costumes were much bigger and grander! Her ball gown in Act 2 felt more like what you would expect her to wear in Act 1. And whilst the crimson red is beautiful with Eaton’s blonde hair, it felt very Sherrif of Nottingham-esque rather than Baroness.
Later, in Act 2, everyone’s ball costumes felt off-kilter and mismatched. Similar to the finale, I would expect each characters’ costumes (junior ensemble dancers included) to tie together somehow, with either a colour scheme or pattern, and lots of sparkles!) Everyone’s costumes being completely different was distracting from the action and took away from the grandeur of the ball.
The highlights of the show for me were the moments where real technical theatre magic tricks happened; from Mozzarella’s quick disappearance to hide from Baroness Helen, the Byson Air Dresser’s styling skills (please show me how that works!) to the beautiful UV carriage building choreography. Watching Fairy Godmother (Mokwenye) charm the carriage components was completely mesmerising, and the final carriage reveal had children, parents and grandparents alike gasping with wonder. Beautiful and glittering with real attention to detail, the carriage really was the icing on the set design cake for this show. Every backdrop glittered, every location was obvious and to top it off the frame of the proscenium arch lighting up with colours that complimented the costumes on stage was visually gorgeous. Credit to Rob Bridges' lighting which adds a real element of spectacle to the production.
The sing-a-long at the end of the story was possibly my favourite part of the night; ‘A Glass Shoe (Shoe-Shoe) was fun to sing and the children picked to join the sisters on stage were hilarious! (A special mention to Nico, who had us roaring with laughter!)
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| Harry Polden (Buttons) and Shona Eaton (Helen Bacquagaine). |
Whilst the junior ensemble’s choreography in ‘One Night Only’ felt somewhat under-rehearsed, they made up for it in the gym scene and the finale, leading the company with enthusiasm, talent and huge smiles. Choreography by Jordanna Simpson is well executed and befitting the world of the show.
I first saw a Little Wolf production of Cinderella a couple of years ago, and overall, I was delighted to see that this production has significantly raised the bar. A production that delivers with staging, magic and feeling and will be lapped up by all who are lucky to have a ticket to the grandest pantomimes in the East Midlands this year.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cinderella continues at Loughborough Town Hall until Sunday 4th January 2026. Tickets are available from https://www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk/
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| Davina Manuel-Mokwenye as Fairy Godmother. |
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