Sensory Cinders, @sohoplace Review

Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

Audience Note: Sensory Cinders consists of Makaton, multi-sensory play, binaural sound, live music, accessibly designed technical components, audience autonomy, audience interaction and other forms of inclusive theatre for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

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Sensory Cinders is the first inclusive sensory pantomime specifically designed for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) to be performed in the West End. It is running at @sohoplace until Tuesday 5th November and tickets have sold out.

The show has a very manageable running time of 50 minutes. Before entering the performance space, audience members are invited to visit a sensory corner, in which they can touch and handle some of the props and materials that are used in the show – feeling sand, pinecones and various fabrics or blowing some bubbles. Members of the cast come out to introduce themselves. The actors playing Cinderella (Ellana Gilbert) and the Fairy Godmother (Emilia Harrild) build an immediate rapport with the audience, posing for photos and chatting about their costumes, with Cinders’ rags having been designed by artists from Henshaws, a charity for people with visual impairment and a range of disabilities. This rapport continued throughout the performance as Gilbert and Harrild are fantastic communicators as well as skillfully bringing their characters to life during the story.

We enter the performance space through a doorway decorated in woodland style, with wind chimes gently vibrating. The lighting is low and the stage is set with a hollow tree trunk and a few boulders. The audience is invited to sit on either side of the staging area, up close to the action as it unfolds.

The show is performed by a talented cast of five, most of them actor musicians. Cinders and the Fairy move amongst the audience playing simple melodies on their stringed instruments, constantly breaking the fourth wall to make eye contact and speak directly to people. This relationship is established early on as they learn people’s names and incorporate them into a simple song that invites them to attend Mama Disco’s fabulous ball.

This is a modern adaptation of the Cinderella story. Our heroine lives in the woods, allowing for a soundscape of birdsong and the inclusion of pinecones, feathers and twigs – as props and costumes. There is a villain of sorts, step figure Druzilla (Jess Lobo), but she shows her own vulnerability and the audience is more occupied with helping cheer her up by picking fabulous accessories for the ball than with booing. It’s refreshing and great fun.

There is, of course, a love interest with the handsome Prince (Kaine Hatukai). He bonds with Cinders over their shared interests and love of the simple joys in life. It’s all very sweet and the pair have great chemistry. Their duet about finding things in common is particularly, well, charming!

The principal cast is completed by the requisite dame, Mama Disco, played by Mark Pearce with a huge grin and twinkle in his eyes. He’s larger than life without being intimidating and fills the space with an infectious energy.

Where this show really excels is in the audience interaction. Whether we are being invited to help transform Cinders’ rags into a glittery party outfit, create a magic potion or look into the magic mirror made from multi-textured materials, the cast members are all brilliant at engaging with the audience. At this performance, one young man gave the Fairy Godmother a huge hug when she thanked him for helping her, a beautiful moment that showed a real connection had been made.

Sensory Cinders is a fantastic innovation, making theatre accessible and inclusive. The smiles on the faces of the audience members said it all – we were all enthused by the joy of watching and becoming fully immersed in a show that has been so well developed and performed by a cast who completely understand what’s required of them, and deliver a perfect theatrical experience that I’m sure will be remembered for a long time.

I hope that more audiences have the opportunity to enjoy this production in the future. Thank you so much to the company for inviting me to share it.

Sensory Cinders is a co-production from the multi-award-winning sensory theatre company Concrete Youth and the nationally recognised venue Barnsley Civic.

The run at @sohoplace has sold out but you can find out more at the Concrete Youth website.

★★★★★