You might think assignations with princes have lost their romantic sparkle lately. The Lyric’s Cinderella would agree – right down to the Woking Pizza Express wisecracks. This is not a panto to leave traditional assumptions intact. When given the chance, Timmika Ramsay’s Cinderella prefers not to become queen, thanks very much. One ugly sister, meanwhile, turns out to be quite sweet, and falls in love – heteronormativity be damned! – with a female Buttons.
Which is all fine and Dandini, save that a few babies are ejected with the bathwater – and a little water left in the bath. I’m fond of the panto tradition whereby wickedly funny performers are deployed to send proceedings up and backchat shamelessly with the crowd. It’s not observed here, in a show (directed by Tinuke Craig) that’s strong on singing but relatively weak on comedy.
Rhys Taylor’s Fairy Fredbare is the nearest we get to an old-fashioned dame, but it’s not near enough. As for Cinderella, we’re told she’s a wannabe astronomer, but otherwise (until a late blossoming) she’s personality-lite. She seems fairly content skivvying for Shobna Gulati’s Madame Meanie and being picked on – although we don’t see much of this – by her “Snuggly Sisters”.
But Jude Christian’s script is sprightly: there’s a nice number punning on tube stations (“I’ve got more of these if you can Stanmore. Or is that Morden enough?”). And there’s good work from Jodie Jacobs as the surprised-by-love sidekick and Gabriel Fleary as a shrinking violet prince. On hunting down the owner of the lost slipper: “Size 6. Can’t be many of those. This plan is foolproof.” There should be enough, then, to satisfy families and festive fun-seekers – if nothing to make the heart soar. Pop-pickers can enjoy musical numbers co-opted from the charts: Cinders and her prince meet cute over Sheeran and Bieber; the show ends with a Shut Up and Dance routine. For all the progressive values, happily ever after still seems to require a proposal of marriage. But if the tension between trad and woke is never wholly resolved, you’ll have (just) enough fun not to fret about it.
At Lyric Hammersmith, London, until 5 January.
