Cinderella – book by Vikki Stone. The Lyric, King Street, Hammersmith, London W6 to

06 January 2024.

4****: William Russell.

“An audience pleasing pantomime.”

It may have the worst sing along song ever but this is a perfectly judged family show in which a feisty Cinders – she runs a stall in Shepherd’s Market – gets the prince and copes with the antics of her not too wicked stepmother Lady Jelly-Bottom and her two half sisters Muffy and Gusset. The song requires the audience to sing Glory, Glory Hammersmith – which is a syllable short for the tune – ending up wishing everyone a Happy Hammersmithmass or whatever. But there are spangles galore, a fairy called Minty who appears in a puff of smoke, Lady Jelly-Bottom has a fine black beard. A series of outrageous gowns with sequins galore including a sporran to carry things she might require at the ball. Cinders goes to the ball in a space ship, aided by some friendly gerbils, loses her slipper and has to head back home when midnight strikes. The matinee audience was held throughout with the trips to the loo by overexcited tiny tots kept to the minimum – there was even a babe in arms among them which cannot happen very often. Tilly La Belle Yengo makes Cinderella a match for her in laws with a brisk, no nonsense performance, looks suitably ravishing when dressed to go to the ball, and seems happy to get Prince Henry played by Damien James as her future husband - probably because he is a bit wet and will do as he is told once wed – and has a fine singing voice. The expected things happen – people are brought up from the audience, the he’s behind you, oh no he’s not routine is performed, names of those celebrating birthdays read out, and in the kitchen scene the sisters get covered in foam when trying to use the mixers to make their breakfast smoothies. They are not, as used to happen, played by hes but by shes – Charlie Cameron is Muffy and Meghan Treadway is Gusset – one of them, but which I am not sure – even does the splits. The three strong ensemble work very hard indeed to convince us there are more people on stage than there actually are and, although not credited in the programme the chatty gerbil who comes to comfort Cinders from time to time may well be played Damien James as he seems to appear when Prince Henry is nowhere to be seen. But that is panto for you. He’s behind you. Oh, no he’s not. Hammersmith has a reputation for its pantos and this one lives up to it.

Cast

Emmanuel Akwafo – Lady Jelly-Bottom.

Charlie Cameron – Mufty.

Maya De Faria – Ensemble.

Jodie Jacobs – Fairy Minty

Damien James – Prince Henry.

Tilly La Belle Yenga – Cinderella.

Jerome Lincoln - Ensemble.

En semble – Bella Macdonald.

Meghan Treadway – Gusset.

Creatives

Director – Tenderai Munyevu.

Set & Costume Designer – Good Teeth.

Choreographer – Arielle Smith.

Lighting Designer – Ciaran Cunningham.

Musical Director – Adam Gerber.

Composer & Arranger – Carin Buckeridge.

Sound Designer – Nick Manning.