Travelling Light’s playful production of Cinderella goes down the Grimm route, presenting characters with real problems, real hopes and desires, and real dark undersides. It’s an accessible and often very funny show with enough magic and wonder to keep almost the youngest of kids in thrall, and enough experimentation and new ideas to engage the most cynical of scrooges.
Subtle direction allows the quality of the acting, design and live music to shine through, although it also means that the show takes a while to get going. The characters are slow-burners, but by the time the bird-spotting, sheltered but hugely charismatic Prince Charming has met tom-boy dreamer Ella, the audience is well down the route of caring what happens to them. The wicked stepmother rather lacks wickedness, but her children are fantastic as a hoity-toity little madam and her brother who is forced into drag for the royal ball, being better at acting the ‘suitable match’ than his saccharine sister.
The show’s simple visual design pleasingly complements the themes. Rather than a ‘fairy godmother’ character, Ella spends her time with the birds of the forest, who help her when she is in need. This bird chorus is made up of the rest of the seven-strong cast, dressed in trendy natural chunky knits and owly specs. The effect verges on Gap-advert – but the playful music and movement turn this to comedy and the birds are a very appealing part of the storyline. At the royal ball, the stepmother and siblings parade around in hideous hot pink frilly gowns and bows, a delightful contrast to the careful prince’s beautiful self-designed salmon-pink satin ruffled shirt.
Magical live music is provided by the Bower brothers, and the company sing, dance and interact with the audience with real confidence and a sense of fun. Gentle pantomimic elements deepen the audience’s involvement, and the whole beautifully crafted piece is framed by a simple string of Chinese lanterns that become party lights in the second half for the royal ball. There are clear stylistic comparisons to be made with Kneehigh here, but Travelling Light have some original and imaginative ideas, which is no mean feat when telling a story that, as the show’s programme reminds us, ‘has roots in every corner of the world and has been re-told hundreds, even thousands of times’.