The Mayflower Southampton posters have Craig Revel Horwood and Debbie McGee as the headliners, but it is Richard Cadell as Buttons with his co-star Sooty that makes this show stand out from the crowd this Christmas with a high energy magical performance that supports the narrative but equally entertains with some spectacular illusions and charming comedy with his puppets. Horwood as the aloof villainess stepmother Baroness Demonica and McGee as the Fairy Godmother look the part as they elegantly sashay on and off but only occasionally get a chance to take centre stage. Indeed, when they finally get to look for Cinderella to try on the slipper it is Sooty’s magic rather than the Fairy Godmother that locates her.
The Mayflower stage is wide and deep with plenty of wing space, and this enables the production to include a lot of large props to support the cast. Horwood arrives on a golf buggy, Cadell arrives on a motorbike in a brilliant illusion, Sooty enters on a mini camper van and Cinderella departs for the Ball on a flying coach and horses over the audience (although unusually the lights cues were late and revealed the lifting mechanism as it took off). Cadell also includes a delightfully cute illusion where cast members appear under cloths from an apparently empty cubicle and a spectacular escape from a hanging box chopped up by a set of chain saws. He completes his magic performances with a comedy routine with Sooty under three buckets bringing a fresh twist to the ball and cups street magic. They are all shoehorned into the narrative but are executed with such skill and energy that we simply sit back and enjoy the presentation.
Cadell also delivers two standard comedy routines with such energy and precision that they feel fresh and new. His Lip Sync routine with Horwood perched precariously on a bench is brilliant adding new clips and interacting with the off-stage sound crew wonderfully. Then they end the show with “If I was not upon the stage” with five of the cast and Cadell the butt of all the action in a very tightly choreographed and precise delivery that belies the fact that they do it twice a day six days a week. It deserves its rapturous applause. His “I feel good” is one of the best audiences call & responses you will hear.It was also noticeable that the usual Ensemble of ten had been reduced to seven presumably with COVID positive tests requiring a hasty reblocking of some of the dance routines which remained very effective and a change which nearly caused McGee to mess up her lines as she ordered the pumpkin to be taken into the garden rather than placed on the box on the table as usual. Thank goodness the whole cast managed to cope with the disruption so well.
Craig Revel Horwood does have some fab-u-lous costumes although they do seem to restrict his movement until he whips off the dress for a dance routine at the ball where he finally gets to show off his fluent moves. He also shows he has a good singing voice in “Don’t stop me know”. Debbie McGee floats on and off looks the part but it’s a shame she did not get in on the magic as well and the reduced part does not even get to pick up sticks in the woods to meet Cinders. Instead, Cinders (Georgia Carr) meets Charming (Will Richardson) on a wall with Buttons interfering in their date. They do make a very good couple and sing well, particularly with Cinders in her opening “In Southampton” welcome and Charming in “Somebody to love “ and “I’m still standing”. The Ugly sisters (Suzie Chard and Catherine Morris) hardly get a look in as the running time is kept tight and their business is cut to snarling grimaces and “I will survive” song.This is the Richard Cadell (and Sooty) show a show packed with his comedy and magic which is energetically and slickly delivered and uses the Cinderella story as a loose frame to organise the tricks. However, the strong performances from Carr and Richardson keep the central love story on track and make for a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment for all the family. For once I could have stayed for another 15 minutes of fun. It runs to 2nd January.
Review by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★★★
Seat: Stalls, Row M | Price of Ticket: £39.50
