Cinderella: A Traditional Christmas Pantomime - Zealous Productions (22 December 2021)

If the success of a pantomime can be measured by the level of audience interaction then Dixie Johnstone’s Zealous Productions has a hit on its hands. The large number of children at today’s matinee were wildly enthusiastic and fully engaged throughout the entire opening show. No small feat for a production that runs some two hours. Many of the shouted remarks were funny in the way only kids can make them. My favourite was the boy who kept referring to Cinderella’s friend Buttons (Tate Bennett) as “Button Boy”.

This level of participation in all the traditional hallmarks of a panto is set up and encouraged by a wonderfully talented cast that is having a whale of a time. The youngsters catch on to the call and response nature of the show almost immediately. They heartily booed the Baroness (Penny Shaw), squealed in warning as instructed whenever anyone went near Buttons’ gift-wrapped present, and were delighted by the exemplary wand waving antics of the Fairy Godmother (Elethea Sartorelli) who conjures up the magic to make dreams come true. I’m not sure what they made of the ugly step-sisters Danni (Brendan Hanson) and Fanny (John O’Hara) who supplied more of the sly adult asides to keep the grown-ups chuckling. But I do know they were enchanted by Amber Scates who is thoroughly likeable as the put-upon Cinderella before transforming into the beautiful ‘Princess Starlight’ as she attends the prince’s ball. There she meets Prince Charming himself, played with winning, well, charm by a dashing Ethan Jones.

Lachlan Obst plays Dandini, the prince’s manservant, with alliterative dexterity while Robert Hofmann adds a little Ol Blue Eyes himself as the henpecked Baron. Then there’s the ensemble of Bri Caracciolo, Georgina Charteris, Tory Kendrick, and Phoebe Tempra who revel in Allen Blachford’s choreography and add vocal punch to the bigger numbers.

Sartorelli and Bennett drive the plot machinations and set the tone from the very beginning. Bennett is so affable that he instantly has the audience in the palm of his hand. It’s a winning turn and I was happy to see him (and Tory Kendrick) outside taking photos with starstruck children immediately after the show finished. I understand there will be a rotating roster of performers doing this after each show which is a real treat for the youngsters. Sartorelli is joyous as the Fairy Godmother and irresistible when the wand becomes a faux microphone as she belts out One Night Only as the first act closer, a memorable highlight.

The other major highlight comes in the second act and reminded me why I love theatre. For all the broad humour, witty puns, panto antics, and pretend magic, when Jones and Scates duet on Rewrite the Stars it is actually magical in a way you only get onstage. Beautifully sung and heartfelt with a gorgeous backdrop, both performers look amazing in costumes by Brooklyn Rowcroft and sound divine.

The show itself looks great – from the costuming to clever lighting (Brad Voss) and set design (John Johnstone) – with real treats such as Cinderella’s ball gown, the pumpkin inspired carriage and its horses, and midnight looming over every moment with a large clock backdrop. The makeup (Manuao TeAotonga) and wigs (Pip) are bold and delightfully garish in the case of Danni and Fanny. It took me a full ten minutes to recognise Hanson and I only discovered it was O’Hara as Fanny whilst consulting the digital program at the interval! I love that and the two of them gleefully chewed more scenery than all of the Jaws films combined.  

There is a mixture of live band (Tommi Flamenco, Alex Barker & Jarrad Van Dort) and recorded tracks under Musical Director Joshua Webb with well-known songs from Madonna, Beyonce, Sinatra and Kool and the Gang amongst others. Director Peter Cumins keeps proceedings moving briskly though he allows plenty of room for such a talented cast to play to the audience and improvise where necessary.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention the surprise cameo of ‘John from Subiaco’ who caught the eye of Danni from the second row. He played it pretty cool but I believe stardom could be just around the corner.

Sure, not all the puns and jokes land and there is a scattershot approach to various Perth references shoehorned into the script but this is a fun production that the children adored. With the breadth of talent on display it’s also well worthwhile for us bigger kids. A strong recommend for a family friendly outing during the holiday season.

Now playing at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco at 1pm and 6pm 23-24 & 28-29 December.