Review: A VERY, VERY BAD CINDERELLA, The Other Palace

Photo credit: Danny Kaan

This festive season, The Other Palace presents a musical parody so naughty it could turn anyone into a Very Very Bad Cinderella!

A Very Very Bad Cinderella, written by Jodie Prenger & Neil Hurst, is - as the title suggests - a rude twist on the traditionally told tale. This cleverly built production will have you in stitches of laughter throughout with its uncouth humour and innuendos that you can really get stuck into.

Directed by Lizzy Connolly, the production itself brings the well known story and characters of Cinderella to life but with a dash of musical parody including the title role of Cinderella, or should that be A Very Very Bad one, being played by May Tether. Tether brings such sass and brilliance to the role along with stunning vocals. Her stage presence is one which quite simply shines.

Veronica Green (Fanny) and Imelda Warren-Green (Vajayjay) are both excellent at bringing the ugly stepsisters to life, with brilliant comedic timing and acting in both line delivery and facial expression. Keanna Bloomfield does a brilliant job at playing two roles at once (Buttons & The Prince) with comical references to wages and the fact that there’s only four actors in the production. Audience participation should also be mentioned here, which all four partake in superbly and let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be panto without it!

Song arrangements work incredibly well in this production with nods to musical theatre; one of the highlights being Tether, Green and Warren-Green performing a twist on Hamilton’s ‘The Schuyler Sisters’.

The costumes by Reuben Speed are both vibrant and modern, with each character having what would seem a specific colour scheme. This is a really good way of showing the strengths to character portrayals.

Jack Weir’s atmospheric, bright lighting design, along with Rob Atkinson’s upbeat, jazzy sound design, compliment one another perfectly throughout.

Video design by Sam Diaz is a nice little addition to the feel of the production, including frequent screen appearances during the production from Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Fairy Godmother whose presence is warmly welcomed with entertaining, charismatic and sharp wit.

This production has everything you should expect from the naughtiest panto you’ll see this festive season. With an uplifting feel and a spicy kick, this is definitely not one to miss!

***** Five stars

A Very Very Bad Cinderella runs at The Other Palace until 7 January 2024, with further information here.