Pantsoc has delivered an excellent new production, showcasing the mixture of edgy black comedy and playful fun that they are known for, with fine performances and production values all round. It is a great accomplishment for all those involved, though at times your endurance may be stretched by its massive run time and wide scope.
The plot, as you would expect, is difficult to summarize. It seems to involve some combination of trans-dimensional travel, fairy-tale creatures getting lost in our reality, American high school satire, and some Men in Black references. But, to be honest, a coherent plot isn’t really what you’re looking for anyway in something like this. It succeeded in its own aims. It’s generally enjoyable, and very funny.
The barrage of cultural references it supplies, running the gauntlet from Breaking Bad to Blurred Lines, generally work well. However a few seem to fall slightly flat, such the Iron Sky referencing “Space Nazi’s” clique, which is borderline obscure rather than whimsical. Non-York students will understand almost all references with ease, except perhaps one referring to York feminist Helena Horton.
The male lead Jason is beautifully played by Ethan-Kadeem Main, whose rakish Geordie charm and exceptional hair make him completely believable as the universally beloved Prom King. The evil stepmother, “four foot 11 of pure evil” is played with great skill and glee by Isobel Austen. Rhys Hayes takes the spotlight as the monstrously twisted fairy godmother and has some of the best lines in the whole performance. Cinderella, played by Katie Wilkinson, is an interesting reinterpretation of the fairy tale original as a grungy high schooler, and she performs particularly well on the musical numbers. It is Charles Deane however who steals the show, delivering joyous ridiculousness in spades and driving the audience delirious with a constant stream of brilliant one-liners.
The costumes provide a wonderful ambience and show attention to detail. The jocks, space fascists, band geeks, goths all look very much the part and the cliché of the stereotypical American high school is captured very well. Its satire about the rampant conformism of secondary education generally hits home. There were minor technical issues with microphones, the male lead at one point being completely inaudible in his final song, but it was handled well and didn’t detract much from the overall performance.
However, at close to three hours in length, it can at times drag. The entire forty person cast seem to get some time in the spotlight and as wonderfully all-inclusive as this all is it can be a bit overwhelming at times. It is maximalist panto on an epic scale and it’s something I’m not sure anyone who isn’t a diehard pantomime fan will be ready for.
Perhaps it is a little bit too much, but you’d have to pretty cold hearted to not enjoy Cinderella. Its feel good message of individuality and acceptance ring true, and it never falls into pure unadulterated student cynicism. There are enough good things about Cinderella too make it enjoyable watching, and directors Georgia Harris and Stephen Hutt have done a good job of orchestrating the chaos and bringing writer Tom Keefe’s script alive. Cinderella is fine piece of entertainment, and I would urge anyone with any tolerance of Pantomime to head down.
Will – I thought Isobel Austin was Cinderella and Katie Wilkinson was the Stepmother…?
Well done on a brilliant show, Pantsoc!
I thought this was absolutely shit, the best part about it was the heclker