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Review of Cinderella We’ve all seen Cinderella haven’t we? Well not like this you haven’t, unless you were in the audience for the Player’s Christmas 2008 pantomime to enjoy Richard Smith’s cheeky production which time-shifted a traditional favourite to the swinging Sixties. This was an ambitious idea but it worked surprisingly well, thanks to a very strong cast. Susie Canning was entirely believable as Cinderella and Kyle Fraser was an engaging Buttons; his “Mr Cellophane” was one of the highlights of the evening. After their success together in the “Art of Coarse Acting” last summer, Joanna Hyland and Beverley Lambert came together again as Dandini and Prince Charming. These four were the forces for good, together with Jeremy Miles as Baron Hardup, alternately torn by love for his daughter and harried by his new wife. As for the pantomime villains, playing it for all they were worth - and outrageously over the top for most of the time – were Philomena Bergin as a memorable Baroness Hardup, with Sharron Canning and Caroline Barfoot as the excruciating ugly sisters, Trinny and Susannah. Those who missed their fabulously hideous costumes and wonderful overacting missed a real comic gem. Those who were there are probably still laughing as the memory of it. Chrissy Burnett and Sarah Nightingale, as Twist and Shout, were very good as the bemused porters and general fall guys for Trinny and Susannah. The chorus, senior and junior, all played their parts well and the musical set pieces were impressive. Little Deuce Coupe, complete with flashing headlights, was a real show-stopper. As with all good pantomimes, good eventually triumphs over evil, the wicked stepmother and the ugly sisters duly get their comeuppance and, after gentle prodding of his conscience by the Fairy Godmother (a sparkling Ros Vogado), Buttons does the right thing and puts Cinderella’s happiness before his own. Prince Charming finds Cinderella, the slipper fits and they all live happily ever after. This was yet another classy production from the talented Soberton Players. But productions like this are about much more than the people on stage; without the contribution from the entire crew, stage hands, wardrobe and front of house, the show couldn’t go on. But this year, as the curtain came down on the final night, there was one particularly sad note because this was Sylvia Davies’ last show as Musical Director after twenty years with the Players. Her contribution has been enormous and she’ll be a hard act to follow. David Williams
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