CINDERELLA Director: Jim Rowe Bacup Royal Court Theatre This was my first visit to Bacup Royal Court, and I received a warm welcome from the team. The theatre was well lit, clean, and well presented. I was surprised to hear later that this venue is maintained and managed by a team of dedicated volunteers. The sense of community is palpable as you enter this wonderful little gem of a theatre. The team should be commended for their hard work on presentation and the customer experience. The atmosphere in the theatre was buzzing and the venue was packed out, which was brilliant to see. It was a nice touch that the Fairy Godmother came on the big screen before the pantomime started, to give us an introduction of what was to come. The stars effect at the beginning was also fabulous and the audience reaction was wonderful – you could really feel the appreciation of the ‘magical’ effect. I also enjoyed the personal address from Stephen Woods, who really made you feel a part of the theatre and the community that supports it. I can’t imagine where you would start with a pantomime script and such an enormous cast of performers, so huge congratulations to Jim Rowe who put together a cast of talented actors and dancers to make an enjoyable production. There was some creative direction and some hilarious moments which were hugely enjoyed by a rowdy and appreciative audience. The stage was set perfectly, with beautiful hand painted gauzes creating a vibrant and colourful set. The tube lighting was also effective along with an excellent lighting plot overall. The costumes and wigs throughout were perfect for the parts, hilariously outrageous for the sisters, and a good amount of sparkle for the dancers, Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother. Well done to the costume team. There were some technical niggles such as issues with the projector, sound levels at times, and faulty radio mic’s, which was unfortunate for the cast –but who carried on regardless. The pyrotechnics were impressive when they worked properly, but when they didn’t it unfortunately pulled attention from the scenes. Fayhe-Louise Mitchell played the part of Cinderella and was every bit the perfect Princess. She was such a natural performer and conveyed a believable role who we were rooting for. Dawn-Marie Woodcock played an assured performance as Prince Charming. I felt she really gave her performance 100% and I imagine that this was a tricky role to take on: Dawn-Marie I commend you! Amy Singleton played the role of the ‘Fairy Godmother’ with confidence and humour. One of the standout moments was her number ‘Show yourself ’, which was pitch perfect – beautiful, engaging, and compelling. She is a talented performer who sparkled as much as her eyeshadow! Harry Stag and Dawn Rowe played the roles of Maxie Mum and Minnie Mum. They were brilliant together and really bounced off each other. Both strong comedy performances from
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