Review: CINDERELLA, Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Photo credit: Douglas Robertson
Year after year, Edinburgh’s pantomime brings glitz, sparkle and laughs to appreciative audiences, and this year’s Cinderella is no exception. This is a visual spectacle, with grand sets, gorgeous costumes and even a magical flying carriage, and the cast, a mix of new faces and Edinburgh panto stalwarts, really put their all into the silliness of the whole thing.
It's fair to say that the plot of Cinderella is somewhat forgotten amongst the sketches and songs shoehorned in by writers Allan Stewart and Harry Michaels (and the additional material contributed by Grant Stott and Matt Slack). Cinders and her Prince play second fiddle to Faerie May, Baroness Hibernia and Buttons, and this is to the show’s detriment as, more often than not, these sketches feel rather dated and stale, and there’s a real injection of energy when Cinderella and Prince Charming enter the stage.
Amber Sylvia Edwards is a delightful Cinderella. She has more agency than your typical Cinders, with a desire to finish her studies rather than just marrying her Prince straight away, and Edwards has a wonderful voice, anchoring her numbers with real skill and warmth. As Prince Charming, Will Callan is a revelation. Although he isn’t given a great deal to work with from the script, when he has the opportunity to sing, he absolutely makes the most of it. His rendition of ‘Somebody to Love’ is an absolute highlight of the night.
The evil stepsisters (Clare Gray and Gail Watson) are drastically underused, but are brash and bold throughout their limited stage time. Iain Stuart Robertson’s Baron Hardup is reduced to little more than a cameo, but does his best with his few lines to convey a loving father to Cinderella.
It is apparent that the rest of the characters are sidelined in order to spotlight the regular stars of the King’s/Festival Theatre panto, who once again imbue the show with their classic gags, skits and banter. Jordan Young is a suitably daft but sympathetic Buttons – the audience is absolutely on his side every time he pines after Cinderella. Grant Stott takes on the role of the evil stepmother, Baroness Hibernia Fortuna, and along with the stepsisters, provides a real highlight in the ‘It’s Raining Men’ parody extolling the virtues of Edinburgh shopping centre, Fort Kinnaird. His expected football-related jabs and Act Two’s opening number ‘Yes, Sir, You Can Boo Me’ practically leads to show stops every time the Baroness enters in order for the audience to boo, jeer and hiss. Stott takes on his baddie role with aplomb, as always, and it’s clear the audience loves to hate him.
The star of the show, with by far the most stage time and musical numbers, is Allan Stewart as Faerie May. Approaching the 50th anniversary of his first panto appearance, Stewart is a seasoned entertainer and certainly knows how to work an audience, but the many musical numbers and sketches start to feel self-indulgent and more than a few of the references are just too dated for this audience. The final sing-a-long with children from the audience is ‘I Am the Music Man’, and it feels like many of the children in the room don’t know the song. By far the best reaction of the night is a dance-off skit with ‘Hot To Go’ and ‘Apple’ featuring the TikTok dances for both songs, and it is clear that the audience love this, with many adults and kids alike joining in the familiar routines. Updating the more old-fashioned variety-style parts of this pantomime would help freshen it up and modernise it for a 2024 audience. That said, Stewart is a marvel – his energy and exuberance is remarkable and he never seems to tire despite practically only leaving the stage to change costume.
Like last year, we are very disappointed that the ensemble vocals are augmented by pre-recorded vocals. This feels very jarring and the antithesis of live theatre, and is just an unnecessary choice. The ensemble are wonderfully talented dancers, and handle Karen Martin’s choreography beautifully, but it would be great to hear them singing live too.
All in all, this is a bright, vibrant spectacle which has the audience in thrall throughout. Despite its dated feel, the cast are gifted entertainers and bring life and joy to the stage. Once again, the Edinburgh pantomime is a festive treat, which is sure to warm up even the coldest winter night with its fun frolics.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray
Cinderella plays at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh until 31 December, with further info here.