THEATRE | Previews
CINDERELLA Macrobert, Stirling, until Mon 31 Dec ●●●●●
Johnny McKnight’s sparkling Christmas offering at macrobert may be missing the man himself, but it launches straight into the postmodern Pantosphere setting now familiar to local audiences.
Here, the Ugly Sisters, Fi Fi (a sneering Jagger-esque
Jonathan Holt) and Fou Fou (a portly Richard Conlon), lead a bunch of young recruits in Dame School. The forces of good are provided by a clutch of student fairies, leaving Louise Ludgate’s Madame De’Mon to draw the boos, although she could easily turn her scare factor up a few notches.
There are plenty of contemporary songs to get the young things dancing, with the obligatory Gangnam reference worked in as a remix verse of LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I Know It’. Pure genius.
But best value for money comes from Angela Hardie’s feisty Cinderella. She has a great voice and wipes the floor with Anthony Fagan as her full-of-himself Prince. Surprisingly, Ryan Fletcher appears to be operating on cruise control as Buttons, but on a night when he engages fully, this knowing show with a full sense of right and wrong should fly. (Thom Dibdin)
CINDERELLA Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until Sat 29 Dec ●●●●●
Not many family Christmas shows begin with a girl scattering her mother’s ashes. The children behind me at the Lyceum’s seasonal offering, a little confused, gasped in wonder as Cinderella distributed the remains. They whispered, a little uncertainly, ‘Is it fairy dust?’ I suspect that might take some explaining later, but it’s not the only moment in this show where you expect magic and get confusion. The plot is convoluted, but its essence is the traditional Cinderella set-up transplanted to modern-day Paris. Cinderella (Julie Heatherill) idolises Prince Pierre, a garish reality TV star played with outrageous aplomb by Martin McCormick. Our wicked stepmother (Jayne McKenna) is some kind of man-eating devil witch, gaining all her power from men’s unrequited love.
It’s difficult to conclude that this show is meant for children, though the laughs are spot on, especially in every nuance of McCormick’s turn as the hideous Made-in-Chelsea-style Prince Pierre, complemented by Grant O’Rourke on high comic form as his weary butler. And even better are ugly sisters Colette and Camille (Nicola Roy and Jo Freer), a wonderful double act of trashy, fake-tan-encrusted teenagers, constantly squealing ‘totes obvs!’
But elsewhere characters are flat, with Gail Watson as Cinderella’s ghostly mother often literally left hanging, suspended on wires. It’s a missed opportunity, matching O’Rourke’s underdeveloped other role as Cinderella’s father. Lyceum Christmas shows are usually lush with rollicking plots and genuine warmth. Heatherill and Spencer Charles Noll (as the Buttons figure) are solely responsible for this production’s heart, but despite their efforts and some catchy musical gems, there’s a dearth of magic and a glut of half-formed ideas. As a comedy it’s all good fun, as you might expect from writer Johnny McKnight, but perhaps the Lyceum needed to invest a bit more sparkle in this one. (Charlotte Runcie)
R E K L A W L L A N I
ALADDIN AND WEE JEANNIE Òran Mór, Glasgow, until Sat 22 Dec ●●●●● THE UGLY DUCKLING Arches, Glasgow, until Sun 30 Dec ●●●●●
It’s A Politicised Panto, A Pint and A Precariously Poised Pie at Òran Mór this Christmas. One’s pastry encrusted comestible is on one’s lap as the tables have been taken down to make way for the additional punters drawn by the promise of Dave Anderson and David MacLennan’s adult-oriented tale of Plan A-style austerity in Old Peking. Fear not, however. With its unconvincing
transvestism (Anderson and George Drennan as widows Twanky and Twinky, and Cat Crozier as the titular hero) and its judiciously employed swearing rhymes, this Aladdin is every bit as silly as past Òran Mór pantos. While Abanazar (Anderson, again) seeks out Aladdin’s old mobile phone (‘new apps for old’), Juliet Cadzow’s Wee Jeannie (the alcoholic and socialistic Partick genie, who looks like something remaindered from the White Heather Club) fights against the old rags-to-riches clichés of pantomime tradition. Look out, too, for a very funny cameo by everyone’s favourite rabidly right- wing, Scots-American capitalist. Whether the piece is under-rehearsed or merely performed in order to appear that way matters not a jot. Forgotten lines are but grist to the excellent banter and hilarious ad-libbing which make the Òran Mór festive offering so much fun. (Mark Brown)
132 THE LIST 13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013
You start noticing the yellow ducks on the tables in the bar. They follow you down the corridor and are projected on the wall as you enter the theatre. At first you think they’re cute, but when you meet them again in this Catherine Wheels/Arches co-production for younger children, you start to have your doubts.
It becomes clear these six freshly hatched siblings are nothing but high-pitched bullies, showing the worst kind of pack mentality to a big-boned brother who dares to be different. In Andy Manley’s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story, this Ugly Duckling doesn’t simply want to swim and eat like the others; he wants to express himself in all his swan-like glory. As far as the children are concerned, they’re watching an epic journey towards self-realisation as Laurie Brown’s Terry the Ugly Duckling ventures from countryside to city and back again. For the adults, well versed in a disco soundtrack that culminates in a blast of Go West, this is nothing short of a plea for sexual equality. It’s witty, inventive and charming to boot. (Francis McLachlan)
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