Cinderella Review- The Panto Theatre

 


Cinderella is a British pantomime that follows the classic Cinderella, the story of a girl, her fairy godmother and a royal ball. With magical help, she attends a royal ball, captures a prince's heart, and leaves behind a glass slipper that ultimately frees her. The script is by John Yates, with added local flair by Jords Shami. 

Direction:

The show was directed Jords Shami, with Chalese Craig as assistant director. Shami added local jokes, that added to the comedy. They started the show with introducing the characters and making sure the audience knew what catchphrases they needed to say. They kept the show flowing, with minor flaws. The addition of music to add in humor was a delightful addition. (The vampire joke was my favorite) The use of multiple puppets helped distinguish different characters, since many actors played more than one role. 

The show was choreographed by Chalese Craig, with Kayla Thygerson as assistant choreographer. They choreographed simple, but effective dance numbers. As a result of the simplicity, the dance numbers were clean, in unison, and visually appealing. Some highlights were when the princesses danced, the Sugar Plum Fair dance, "Go the Distance/Defying Gravity", and "I Gotta Feeling".

The show was music directed by Bentley Jenks. She helped make sure that the actors were on pitch with their singing and that the leads were solid on their songs. Some highlights were "Impossible" and "I Gotta Feeling."

Performances: 

Cinderella was played by Annalyce Chandler. Chandler played Cinderella as humanly as possible. I loved how she gave her a big personality, versus how Cinderella usually is played soft. Her singing voice was clear and a delight to listen to. She added humor when singing "Impossible."

Buttons/Dandini was played by Camille Perkins. Perkins started the show big and full of energy. Her comedic timing was fabulous. Perkins choice to lift up the forest backdrop while talking about the forest was hilarious. With the show being a British Pantomime, Perkins used improv in some places, that added some hilarious moments. When Buttons got friend-zoned, I felt so sad for them because of how Perkins portrayed it.

Dame Mrs. Beeton was played by Jords Shami. From the moment he stepped foot on stage he brought in a huge energy. His character was big and bold. Every time his character was annoyed it was well portrayed and hilarious. His use of physicality was a great way to draw the audience into the story that was being told. It also helped add to the humor of the show.

Fairy Fortune/Olga was played by Saffron Canfield. Canfield started the show strong as the storyteller. Her Fairy Fortune character was clearly different from her Olga character. Fairy Fortune was kind, gentle and loving, yet strong and extremely capable. Her Olga character was stern with a strong German accent. 

Design:

The set was designed by Jords Shami. It was built by Jords Shami, Jared Shami, and Elizabeth Simmons. The set was painted by Jords Shami and Lar Hadden. With this show being a traveling show, they went as simple as they could. There were three frames that had two canvases pinned up on each one. The canvases were flipped over during certain location changes. One side had the forest/kitchen. On the other side it had the castle. Minimal furniture was used during the production.


The costumers for the show was Jords Shami and Chalese Craig. The duo when for a medieval fill for most characters, except the evil step mother that was in all black with green accents. Both of Cinderella's costumes were reminiscent to the Disney film. The prince was dressed in classic prince garb. 

About Panto Style Theatre:

A panto (short for pantomime) is a popular, interactive musical comedy stage production that is traditionally performed during the Christmas and New Year holiday season in the United Kingdom. [1, 2]
Key Elements of a Panto
  • Fairy-Tale Plots: Stories are loosely based on classic children's tales like Cinderella, Aladdin, or Jack and the Beanstalk, but are heavily rewritten with modern pop songs, local jokes, and slapstick humor. [1, 2, 3]
  • Audience Participation: The crowd is expected to shout out catchphrases (like "He's behind you!"), warn characters of danger, boo the villain, and sing along with the cast. [1, 2, 3]
  • Traditional Stock Roles:
    • The Dame: A loud, comedic older woman character played by a man in colorful drag.
    • The Principal Boy: A young heroic male role traditionally played by a young woman in tights or shorts.
    • The Villain: A bad guy who loves being loudly booed by the audience. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Final Impressions:

This show is the Panto Theatre's debut show. Being one that has never experienced a British Pantomine, I had no idea what I was in for. Cinderella has big laughs, and a lot of audience participation. If you have never seen a show in this style, it is reminiscent of shows I've seen at the Desert Star. This show is safe for all ages to see, and has moments that will have children entertained. With it being a traveling show, you can catch it in Tooele and Provo. Go support this new theater so they can grow and bring more family friendly theater to the valley.

Tickets



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