Festive Review: Cinderella, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot

Life is imitating art at Shakespeare North this festive season. Or perhaps it is the other way round.

For when we first meet our Cinderella, in this new version written by Nick Lane, she is not a fairytale princess but an usher at the theatre who is then co-opted into the role of heroine. Tia Larsen, the actor who plays her, has no problem making this look authentic as she is indeed an usher at Shakespeare North in Prescot. The 24-year-old almost stole last year’s Christmas production of Alice in Wonderland when, as understudy, she had to step in on press night.

This year, she has been given time off the day job to take a starring role; a decision vindicated by the fact that she is the best thing about Cinderella, full of charm and vitality but also spark. Her Cinders is no simpering victim but an intrepid would-be explorer, interested in Prince Flarf mainly because his map collection might help her rescue her lost, seafaring mum. She also has heart, taking pity upon one-time tooth Fairy 23780 (an energetic Emma-Grace Arends), who needs her help to quality as a Godmother.

Elliott Kingsley. Photo by Patch Dolan.

Alongside Larsen, a sense of place is a central feature of this production. The action moves between Prescotesia, Alberto Dock in Pooliver, the posh royal seaside suburb of Crosbinia, and other thinly-disguised areas of Merseyside. The finer details of this might be lost on any audience member who is not familiar with the region’s social and economic geography. For the local majority, however, these are well-worn tropes that illicit a smile or at least a groan – Wirral is referred to as “the great unmapped”.

The same smile-inducing quality can be said for the ugly sisters Ratface (Thomas Cotran) and Blob (Elliott Kingsley). One is shrill and faux-posh, the other dim and slovenly. In their best moments they are entertainingly daft and enjoyable. But the challenge with shows in which hardworking actors take on multiple parts is that those characters need to be distinct for the hat-changing to really work. No mean feat, and here it wasn’t quite achieved. Cotran’s Prince Flarf and Kingsley’s Dean were posh and gormless respectively, and this overlap with the sisters reduced the comedy value of their otherwise solid, individual portrayals.

There was plenty of singing, as befits the most engaging of Christmas shows, and the audience gamely got to their feet when instructed. Yet with a slightly tinny recorded backing rather than any live instruments, the musical element of this show felt a little flat. We’re not asking for a full-blown orchestra here, but even a tambourine would have helped.

Nevertheless, director Nicole Behan’s production romped along, taking in a mildly-baffling visit to Father Time and an equally baffling but genuinely entertaining cameo by a runaway humanoid pumpkin. In its final moments, as Fairy Delightful reflected on the account of Cinderella’s adventures with which they had just been regaled, art again imitated life: “I quite enjoyed it.”