Review: Cinders and Ella – The Zoom Panto, Youth Onstage

When the first lockdown hit in March, Youth Onstage were only five weeks away from performing the West Midlands premiere of Kipps. Whilst this has now been postponed until next year, Director Deb Brook and her team remained productive and following a committee member coming up with the concept for a Zoom panto in August, Cinders & Ella was born and the hard work truly began.

There are many challenges that surround putting a show on via Zoom but Youth Onstage were clearly prepared for these obstacles and came up with a number of effective solutions such as pre-recording musical numbers due to the anticipated delay on a live. There are also a number of references to the modern technology during the show, to assist those audience members new to the platform in navigating the system and generally making a few witty comments about the medium, including only being seen from the waist up!

The company definitely made the best of an unprecedented situation and judging by the 70-odd households whom had tuned in last night and turned their videos on, they were certainly invested and enjoying themselves.

Paul Murphy's script includes references to the current climate and a handful of puns that would definitely appeal to a local West Midlands audience. Whilst 50 minutes (approximately) did feel an appropriate length for the piece, the script did feel rushed on occasion. The transitions from character to character could have been a little smoother, especially when moving from live content to screen sharing to play pre-recorded footage, but I applaud the commitment and determination of those involved for managing to remain creative and put this together.

The selection of musical numbers was influenced heavily by modern pop, appealing to a wider audience. The inclusion of 'The Perfect Year' from Sunset Boulevard, as the number performed by the Prince and Cinders at the ball, was also appreciated on a personal note. Musical Director Alice Brown had a difficult task teaching these numbers online so must be commended for this.

The 14-strong young cast did a great job under the circumstances and their enthusiasm could not be faulted. The characters were clearly defined and particular credit must be given to Phoebe Mason and Esme Read as the Good Fairy and Wicked Witch respectively, as their characterisation and delivery was really well executed. A special mention must also be given to those involved in the audience participation segment as this was always going to be the most unpredictable part of the show but the company moved it along at a good pace.

Whilst there are elements that could have been tighter, they managed very well in the confines of their virtual arena and entertained the audience for its duration.

For more information on the company, please click here.

Reviewed by: Jenny Ell