This review of the show appeared in Parish Pump of March 2005

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OH NO IT WASN’T, OH YES IT WAS!

January saw Filkins Theatre strutting its stuff in ‘After Cinders: What happened next?’ Our woman-in-the-stalls, Barbara Browne, reveals all… 

 

   While Cinderella and Prince Charming were away on honeymoon, audiences at the Filkins Village Hall enjoyed a behind-the-schemes glimpse of what happened next. It all happened the last week in January, and the Filkins Theatre group proved itself to be a cast for all ages, with its thespians ranging from a mere 5 years old to a nifty 90!

   Despite a lot of ‘rhubarb, rhubarb’ and the repeated prediction that ‘We’re all doomed’, to quote the dashing-across-the-stage Mangelworzel (Oliver Choyce), the performance was anything but. While this American reviewer has yet to fully understand the enthusiasm with which Englishmen indulge in cross-dressing, bosom-boosting and limp-wristing, Jeremy Irwin-Singer and Paul Molyneaux triggered gales of laughter while oozing harmless scheming from every pore as the ugly social-climbing stepsisters. Complete with cherry cheeks, hyper-pursed lips, and fluorescent pink and green wigs, they were quite irresistible!

   The stepsisters were joined in their scheming by reverse cross-dressing Sue Ashforth-Smith, who looked and sounded suitably Italian as the wheeling-dealing TV executive Signor Dandidi. Making his debut in Filkins but bringing many years of experience treading the boards with the Cotswold Arcadians, Eric Partington was deliciously evil and much hissed at as the baddie Australian Blooper Burdock. Another Arcadian, the skyscraping Jack Hawkes stood firm and intimidating as the Queen’s loyal Lord Chamberpot in a land obsessed with all things great and smelling of rhubarb.

   Speaking of ‘Queenie’, Pat Scott played the venerable Queen Tarara with her customary skill and bravely balanced what looked like Mont Blanc atop her head in the final scene. Lord Snowball (Oliver Ashforth-Smith) did his best to get some scintillating photos of her for the Parish Pump, which rumour has it will pay good money! Even Mistress Meg (Rachel Taylor) seemed to think this was a reasonable idea, but later atoned for condoning such a misdeed by endlessly bowing and scraping with much aplomb. More of the same came from Dame Slowly (Vivien Godfrey), who lived up to her character’s name, keeping her pace near a standstill throughout.

   Annabel Molyneaux as statuesque Signora Stupenda and Juliet Heslewood as the fading Fairy Godmother stole the show in terms of singing. With her usual operatic vigour, Annabel tried valiantly to teach her real-life husband (stepsister Bindweed) to sing. And Juliet worked her magic, despite her dodgy wand, while cleverly singing to the tune of ‘Send in the Clowns’ with ‘feet firmly fixed to the ground, instead of mid-air’.

   It was a delight to see talented teenagers Sam Greenhalgh and Abigail Schultz playing the romantic young lovers Prince Earnest and Dandelion Burdock. More romance was in the air but required another bit of cross-dressing so that long-suffering Mr Inky Fingers (Liz Ferris) could hook up again with heart-pitter-pattering Cookie (Barbara Bristow). However, they were fleetingly foiled by Sir Percy Flage (Lisa Porter), who threw in more rhubarb for good measure.

   An extremely energetic Hattie the Herald (Anna Savage) kept the audience fully informed of their responsibilities, flashing many a sign and a matching facial expression at the critical moment. She was joined in her youthful enthusiasm by the carol singers, Charlie Brown, Georgina and Lydia Choyce, Eliza Findlay-Wilson, Alex Jobling and Harry Steele. The children in the audience even joined in the fun, leaping onto the stage and into the air in a futile attempt to catch a huge hairy spider causing problems for Dumpling and Beanpole (Teresa Irwin-Singer and Mary Bohm), who provided comic relief (as if we needed any!) as the stepsisters’ hired help and sometime Morris dancers.

The show’s finale was a colourful concoction of frilly lace, feathers, pink sashes and hairy shoulders. The cameo appearance by 90-year-old Chris Harrison as Buttons, including a delightful duet with Queenie, was greeted with great acclamation.

   And we must not forget the other cameo albeit very brief appearance by a confused Dick Whittington (Jane Martin), who mysteriously wandered into the wrong panto. All in all, a most enjoyable performance, ably directed/produced by Pam Assiter and Pat Scott, expertly accompanied by Sue Cave on piano, and with superb lighting and special effects by Michael Schultz, Andy Hoad and crew.

   As sung during the finale, ‘Rhubarb for me, it’s glorious’!

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Barbara Browne