It is always exciting and interesting to see a well-known celebrity make their Pantomime debut and each season new familiar faces are attracted to the stage. I doubt if there has ever been a better celebrity debut than Vernon Kay at the Wycombe Swan as Dandini in Cinderella. Despite the fact that this is sometimes a supporting role he dominates the stage with a bubbly and happy personality and natural charm, he has the audience eating out of his hand from his first appearance. He shows an understanding of the pantomime genre and the nature of live theatre and engages the audience with his asides, looks and smiles. When it comes to introducing the Principal Boy, Prince Charming, he asks a young boy from the audience to come on the stage and do it for him and handles the moment delightfully. Why Cinderella does not fall for him instead of the Prince is a mystery until you remember that they are most of the time following Will Brenton’s excellent script.
Of course, it takes a lot more than a star name to make a good show and this production has it all from the moment you enter the auditorium, you are transported to a magical world by the amazing digital set with banks of video screens framed by twisted tower portals. The digital scenery, which I had seen before at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, looked even better in the more intimate traditional theatre of the Swan. The technology meant we could see moving rivers, turning windmills, and burning fires with heart and butterfly motifs to add to the script. The transformation scene takes on a new dimension when the on-stage carriage takes off and flies into the distance and then returns and converts back into an onstage pumpkin. It's pure Pantomime magic. Of course, there is a risk in the technology and the frequent black screen was a distraction although Kay brilliantly ad-libbed about it, so it became part of the show. The inclusion of the Gino de Campo and Keith Lemon video projections seemed an unnecessary indulgence adding little especially when we have Jon Clegg on stage as Buttons doing his wonderful impressions of which we could have seen more. His opening routine included Kermit, Alan Carr, The Simpsons, Michael McIntyre, Paddy McGuiness and Sarah Millican while the projected images assisted recognition, the impressions and selected voices were so familiar that the material worked very well. He topically added in a reference to the postal strike when a knock at the door went down well and played the “she behind me” gag wonderfully, twice to a great audience reaction.
Verity Thompson making her professional debut as Cinderella was wonderful too from her opening song of “ Green Green Grass” to her meeting with the Prince (James Bisp) in “Bring me higher love” and then after the Ball “Need somebody”, she sings beautifully, moves elegantly, and interacts well with all the cast. The transformation into a ball gown was slickly handled with very clever use of the covering white cloak and projected images adding to the magical effect.Of course, any story needs some jeopardy, and this is provided by the magnificently haughty and delightfully wicked Baroness played by Penelope Macdonald, with just a touch of Cruella De vile about her look, who revelled in the boos and “boozy” audience reactions. The traditional ghost bench with her, Buttons and Dandini was also perfectly played. Her two daughters were played by Eleanor Burke and Kelly Sweeney and unusually the design missed the chance to have some fun with their costumes as the Ugly Sisters usually do and they could have been given more business. Their inclusion in the usual chocolate bar pun routine was too many voices for the scene to run smoothly. The three did however follow Nigel Ellacott’s advice to stay still during the ticket-tearing scene and it worked a treat adding to the pathos of the moment.
Joelle Moss added a touch of magic as the Fairy Godmother although her appearances were restricted early on to the stage right plinth, she got a chance to flourish in the transformation scene and there were an excellent adult and junior ensemble in some very good choreography by Richard Hinds which used the stage and raised areas well with a wonderful rock and roll medley finale.This is an excellent production driven by Vernon Kay’s fresh energy and comfort with the genre and a wonderful supporting cast, slick direction and magnificent staging and elevates the standard expected at the Wycombe Swan. It must be hoped that the audiences are sufficiently impressed to return in 2023 when the venue offers exciting new touring productions of The Mirror Cracked in February and the King and I in March which showed also deliver these high production values to this lovely regional venue.
Review by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★★★★
Seat: Circle, Row K | Price of Ticket: £33
