Cinderella written by Harry Michaels & Alan McHugh. Richnond Theatre, 1 Little Green, Richmond TW9 until 4 January 2026. 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
Photo Credit: Ian Olsson.
Cinderella written by Harry Michaels & Alan McHugh. Richmond Theatre, 1 Little Green, Richmond TW9 until 4 January 2026. 5☆☆☆☆☆.
Review: William Russell.
“Stemp steals the show as Buttons.”
For once it is Buttons who steals the show. Charlie Stemp is perfectly cast as the cheeky little chappie who is madly in love with Cinderella and exploits all his charm and agility – he is a gifted song and dance man – to dazzling effect. Directed by Gary Wilmot, who knows a thing or two about comedy, this is a pantomime like a pantomime should be, something for all the family, and not a haven for drag queens to camp around in cracking smutty jokes. It has just enough surprising ingredients to keep the audience deliriously happy. But it is not the Stemp show entirely. The Ugly Sisters Veruca and Hernia Hardup played by Stephen Guarino and Jak Allen-Anderson, both apparently new to pantomime and taking to the stage like ducks to water are very funny, while Basil Brush trundles on from time to time as the Baron to spread a little happiness and Helen George as the Fairy Godmother sings sweetly displaying legs that any principal boy in olden days would have admired. The traditional ingredients are all there, including two routines for the principals that are brilliantly performed with the updated Sister Susie she sells patter one in particular using Stemp as the middle man transmitting instructions from Basil to the two Hardup sisters to great effect. The other one involves the Fairy Godmother. The Prince and Dandini as well as Buttons and requires all of them to wave things like spades or pots over their heads just missing the person next in line. Buttons seems always to get clobbered. Both routines have been rehearsed to perfection. Best of all is a wonderful joke when, Cinders having got her Prince, the rejected, dejected Buttons, asks for a kiss. She agrees. But who does he kiss? The sets are fine, the costumes colourful, there is a splendid band and while Cinderella's ball gown is a slight disappointment she does get to go there in a coach drawn by two milk white ponies. Who could ask for anything more? Richmond's pantomime - with a lot of help from Stemp, whose energy is boundless, has – dare one say it? – come up trumps.
Cast
Helen George – Fairy Godmother
Charlie Stemp – Buttons
Basil Brush – Baron Basil
Michael Lin – Dandini
Hope Dawe – Cinderella
Tom Major – Prince Charming
Stephen Guarino – Verruca Hardup
Jak Allen-Anderson – Hernia Hardup
Lucia Coleman, Luke Jarvis, Hannah Morcos, Rowen Newsome, Emily Rose-Davis, Sienna Walker -Ensemble
Creatives.
Director – Gary Wilmot
Musical Director – Pierce Tee
Costume Designer – Teresa Nalton
Speciality Costume Design & Construction – Mike Coltman
Lighting Designer – Graham J McLusky
Sound Designer – Tom Marshall
Special FX – The Twins FX
Choreographer – Stephen Mear
