December 13, 2010
Your average Brit will know what to expect when attending a pantomime, but for the uninitiated, the traditional British Panto is a simple yet chaotic stage production consisting of magic, music, melodrama and massive amounts of innuendo with roots in both Commedia dell’ Arte and traditional Music Hall.
As with most Pantomimes, the plot of Cinderella is based on a simple, well known fairytale surrounding several principal characters – the young maiden of the title, a fairy godmother, two ugly sisters, a dashing prince, and Buttons the accident prone servant – and in order for it to fit the bill it must follow a variety of well known conventions. These conventions can either be enhanced or undermined by the writer’s sense of fun, the director’s vision and the cast’s ability.
Fortunately for audiences of Oxford Playhouse’s latest Christmas panto, the talent on display in front of and behind the scenes was considerable, and the product of their ability was clear for all to see.
Writer and Director, Peter Duncan’s script, though largely consisting of the prerequisite tongue in cheek, child-friendly cheese one would normally expect, occasionally sparkled with sharper-than-average adult references, and was performed with verve and gusto. Of the bright and lively cast, it was Miles Western and Amy Griffiths who shone the brightest – the former keeping the deceptively bawdy laughs coming thick and fast as ugly sister, Lady G (or Gaga to her friends), and the latter holding the ramshackle narrative together with her assured yet playful portrayal of the Fairy Godmother.
The exquisite set not only served as a perfect backdrop for the modern choreography, playful costume, slick lighting and exuberant music, but also successfully highlighted the ambitious scale of this unashamedly mischievous production.
As with most Pantomimes, the plot of Cinderella is based on a simple, well known fairytale surrounding several principal characters – the young maiden of the title, a fairy godmother, two ugly sisters, a dashing prince, and Buttons the accident prone servant – and in order for it to fit the bill it must follow a variety of well known conventions. These conventions can either be enhanced or undermined by the writer’s sense of fun, the director’s vision and the cast’s ability.
Fortunately for audiences of Oxford Playhouse’s latest Christmas panto, the talent on display in front of and behind the scenes was considerable, and the product of their ability was clear for all to see.
Writer and Director, Peter Duncan’s script, though largely consisting of the prerequisite tongue in cheek, child-friendly cheese one would normally expect, occasionally sparkled with sharper-than-average adult references, and was performed with verve and gusto. Of the bright and lively cast, it was Miles Western and Amy Griffiths who shone the brightest – the former keeping the deceptively bawdy laughs coming thick and fast as ugly sister, Lady G (or Gaga to her friends), and the latter holding the ramshackle narrative together with her assured yet playful portrayal of the Fairy Godmother.
The exquisite set not only served as a perfect backdrop for the modern choreography, playful costume, slick lighting and exuberant music, but also successfully highlighted the ambitious scale of this unashamedly mischievous production.