Cinderella at Shakespeare North Playhouse Review
Written by Roby for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The Shakespeare North Playhouse is not necessarily a venue that screams “pantomime”, yet their production of Cinderella is simply a ball!
The show, written by Nick Lane and featuring a cast of just five actors who multi-role, adds some fresh ideas to the classic fairytale of Cinderella. Whilst Cinderella loses her shoe at the ball and has two ugly stepsisters and a stepmother, everything else is quite different. Instead of being a damsel in distress, Cinderella is obsessed with adventure and maps after her mother disappears to ‘The Land Beyond Beyond’, and instead of Prince Charming marrying her at the end, he instead marries his horse.
Whilst some of these new ideas are nice, some are not particularly exciting, and the first thirty minutes of the show seem to be quite slow. This is also because of the lack of choreography, as most songs are just static until we reach the excitement of the ball. There are some great song choices throughout that are generally performed well, and I loved the addition of a scannable playlist so you could listen back to all of the songs in the show. Some songs, however, didn’t always seem to suit the actors’ voices, and there weren’t many modern songs for the younger audience members. In general, the music and vocals could be louder, as the songs feel like they are at the same energy as the scenes. The standout song for me was ‘I’m Every Woman’ – it was such a shame to cut this short as it truly was a party starter.
The cast of five, who have been directed well by Nicole Behan, are all incredibly talented. Tia Larsen, an usher at the Shakespeare North Playhouse, takes on the demanding role of Cinderella with ease – she is charming, expressive, and a great all-round performer. Larsen has great chemistry with Emma Bispham, who excels in every role she plays. Cinderella’s reunion with her mother is a genuinely touching moment, although the deep, philosophical question of ‘How much time do we have left?’ does not necessarily lend itself well to the joyous escapism of pantomime. Elliot Kingsley and Thomas Cotran are great as the stepsisters and Cotran is a brilliant Prince Flarf. At times, Kingsley has been directed too much to play for laughs, and he does not always receive them. I don’t quite know if it’s a compliment, but Kingsley’s best role is when he plays the Pumpkin used to make Cinderella’s carriage – genuinely bizarrely funny. Emma Grace Ardens, however, is a true scene stealer as Mandy the Fairy; she is bursting with talent, and you can tell she genuinely loves her job. She was made for panto! (Also – special shout-out to audience member Anthony, who delivered a West End-worthy performance as Ratface at the end of the first half when there were more roles than actors).
The cast are all extremely talented and make great utilisation of all of the Scouse jokes and modern references they’ve been handed (like six-seven and “clock it”). However, as far as actual humour goes, Nick Lane’s script severely lacks the typical one-liners and innuendos we would expect from a panto. As a result, a few scenes do drag, as they just aren’t funny.
The set and costume design, however, is incredible. Chloe Wyn has done an excellent job combining maps and time to create brilliant visuals and her giant carriage is stunning. Her costumes are a true standout – particularly the stepsisters’ wigs, the rat and frog puppets, and Cinderella’s glamorous dress transformation, which looks amazing.
The best five minutes of the evening, however, is ‘The Pibble’! This energetic, chaotic dance gets the entire audience involved, and the song is so catchy. I would quite like to start a petition to make the Pibble mandatory at every party I go to as it was simply brilliant (my mum and I came home singing the song and immediately showed our whole family). The Shakespeare North Playhouse are onto a winner, here – I hope this becomes a pantomime staple.
Overall, Cinderella at the Shakespeare North Playhouse is a glorious, joyful evening of pantomime magic. Whilst the story may not be worth losing your shoe over, you must certainly book tickets to watch this show before time runs out!
Cinderella plays at Shakespeare North Playhouse until 10 January 2026
★ ★ ★ ★
