Cinderella

Main House:
Director Melly Still and co-writer Ben Power have gone back to the original Grimm tale to create a deliciously dark piece of theatre. The familiar, Disneyfied pastels are replaced by a jagged charcoal sketch of a performance full of cold light, deep shadows and bursts of bright colour. Staging that incorporates live music, physical theatre and puppetry is complemented by an intelligent script that weaves other Brothers Grimm Tales into the story, creating a narrative that loops and folds back on itself. The cast take multiple roles while effectively storytelling their characters in the third person. As well as some beautifully crafted passages, the piece is suffused with dry wit and absurdity. Parents might want to note that in this version, true to the original, Cinderella's sisters hack off parts of their feet in their attempts to get them into the slipper. It's all done with a sense of humour but might be a bit much for younger, more sensitive children. That said, this 'Cinderella' is a vastly entertaining, funny, moving, satisfying piece of theatre that will appeal to children and adults alike.