The prince dances with ladies and “ladies” at the ball
There comes a point in every young girl’s life when she’s over the whole princess thing. At least, that’s what happened in our family. My daughter no longer wants her heroines served up with a dollop of glitter and a saccharine disposition.
That’s one of the reasons we were excited and intrigued by Unicorn Theatre’s holiday production of Cinderella: A Fairytale. The promotional picture featured not a glass slipper and a tiara but a pair of Doc Martens, embellished with rhinestones.
The programme talks a little about the Cinderella story — the origins of the tale we know today dates back to 1st century BC, with Charles Perrault’s 1697 version popularising those old favourites of the pumpkin, fairy godmother and glass slipper.
This Cinderella, an original co-production of Bristol-based Tobacco Factory Theatre, Travelling Light and Unicorn, was first performed in 2011 and shortlisted for an Olivier Award for Best Family Show, 2013. It’s a quite magical reworking of the basic story.
Ella (Sarah Kameela Impey) is a girl enchanted with the forest and the birds. When her evil stepmother comes onto the scene, the actor playing Ella’s father (the excellent Philippe Spall) transforms into the stepmother on stage. Ella escapes to the forest to commune with her bird friends and it’s them, not a godmother, who come to her aid.
Cinderella and the prince connect at last
The stage is alive with the sounds of birdcalls, as well as wonderful music. Two musicians play live onstage throughout the production — drums, chimes, a cowbell, a harp, a clarinet, a stringed instrument that looks like a zither and more.
The prince is geekily charming, the step-siblings are engaging, and the moment when the prince brings the missing Doc Marten is filled with tension — we really did watch with mounting anxiety of what would come next. I won’t reveal what happens but it’s definitely not Disney.
There are also fun moments when the actors move among the audience. The actors show a real ease with child audiences, and don’t miss a beat when helpful young viewers interject during the production. The entire cast consists of 5 actors and the 2 musicians, and the set is basic. All the magic is produced by the performances themselves.
This is a holiday event filled with heartwarming stories of love, beautiful music and charming performances that turn this into a story to satisfy families with young and older kids alike. As we left, some teen girls behind us talked enthusiastically about the play. “The bird thing worked,” one said assuredly to the other.
Cinderella: A Fairytale runs from 26 November 2013 – 5 January 2014
147 Tooley St, London SE1 2HZ
020 7645 0560
www.unicorntheatre.com
About Jennifer Howze
Jennifer Howze is the Creative Director and co-founder of BritMums. She blogs about family travel at Jenography.net, tweets at @JHowze and Instagrams at @JHowze. Previously, she wrote the Alpha Mummy blog at The Times and as a journalist has contributed to The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, Travel & Leisure, Budget Travel, CNN.com, Allure, SELF and Premiere, among others. She won The Maggie Award from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for a health article in Seventeen magazine.