Western Morning News, December 19th 2013

For a healthy dose of razzle dazzle, look no further than the Hall for Cornwall’s production of Cinderella, this year’s offering from the Hiss and Boo Company.

It’s got handsome heroes, ugly villains, slapstick, bad puns, colourful costumes and toe-tapping tunes. What more do you want from a pantomime?

This plot takes a few liberties with the classic story: sweet Cinderella (Nichola Lagan) meets Prince Charming (Andreas Gyllander – a dashing Swede) in the woods. He has swapped places with his valet, Dandini. Both are instantly smitten, to the dismay of  lovelorn Buttons (local-boy-made-comedy-good Dean Nolan).

The prince decides the only way he can find the anonymous maiden again is to hold a royal ball and... well you know the rest.

With Cinderella’s stepmother travelling the world, it is left to her ugly stepsisters Detoxica (Daniel Crane) and Botoxica (Granville Saxton) to steal the show. The cross-dressing cronies do not disappoint. Their costumes commit federal crimes against fashion – and occasionally gravity – and their ribald ribs keep the over-12s chuckling.

Dedicated Hall for Cornwall fans may recognise Botoxica as Abanazer, the villain of last year’s show: his CV is a litany of baddies, from Dracula to Hook to Voldemort’s right-hand death eater. But he seems to enjoy taking his basso profundo up a few octaves to flirt with the dads in the front rows.

The friendly fairy godmother (Joanna Monro) and Cinderella’s forgetful father Baron Hardup (Stan Pretty) give charming performances, and the ensemble, including local children, enact the many song-and-dance numbers with great verve.

Special mention must be made of Cinderella’s carriage, which glides on a cloud of dry ice into the sky, as her magical mouse-cum-horse sprouts Pegasus wings.

True to form, Hiss and Boo is careful not to omit any classic panto ingredients: the “it’s behind you” scene, the cream pie in the face, the singalong, and the “oh yes it is” sequence. Scenery and costumes are bright and charming, and the music features well-known hits across the generations.

If I had any complaint it was that the simple magic of the story was overshadowed by the razzle dazzle and woops-a-daisy, and perhaps that the music was a rather bewildering hash of any song you’ve ever heard. Also, the only proper slapstick was a baking scene that was a bit long and laboured – I expect this will adapt through the run.

But those are just quibbles really. This is a pacey, bright production full of talent, fun for the eyes and ears, and lots of laughs for everyone. It’s guaranteed to lift your winter gloom. Go and see it!