The Core at Corby Cube – until 31st December 2023
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
At this time of year theatres are saturated with Pantomimes, so it can be difficult to decide which one to see. The temptation is to visit a large venue with superstar headliners, assuming that this will automatically equal an entertaining evening. However, to do this would mean missing out on a wealth of talent offered up by local venues, and none so much as the one I experienced tonight in Corby.
Little Wolf Entertainment’s interpretation of Cinderella was exquisite. The sumptuous sets and superb special effects brought this production to life, and elicited quite a few ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhas’ from the wowed audience. Writer and designer Morgan Brind expertly balanced the modern and traditional to tell a linear story of good versus evil, which was easy to follow but not always to predict. Adding twists to the comedic pantomime tropes and doing away with archaic rhetoric, we were still thoroughly entertained and enthralled. The script was so clever that you felt every scene and joke had been clearly crafted and weaved into the plot, with original ways of storytelling, the children, and us adults, were entertained from start to finish.
Fast paced and funny, the humour was both physical and wordy. Slapstick, beatboxing, puppets, a flying carriage…there was so much movement on and off the stage, it felt truly immersive. Sam Munday-Webb did a magnificent job of directing, adding subtle but effective touches, such as the ensemble walking in the background to give the sense of a busy street, and the positioning of performers so they were not just walking on and off the stage, standing delivering lines and then walking off. They were sitting, standing, lying down, sweeping, etc. The piece felt dynamic and alive. Also, there was heaps of audience participation, and laughter galore!
The cast collectively combined to perform a sublime show, and they looked like they had a lot of fun in doing so. Lucy Munden as ‘Cinderella’ and Lloyd Davies as ‘Prince Charming’ had a wonderful, innocent chemistry on stage. Inés Sampaio had infectious musicality and comedic timing as ‘Dandini’, as well as impressive puppeteering skills with the marvellous mouse ‘Mozzarella’. Gregor Duncan was a rather endearing ‘Buttons’, never failing to get the audience to join in with his antics. Emma Ralston as ‘Fairy Godmother’ and Marisha Harris as ‘Helen Bacqueagaine’ (wicked stepmother) were a fabulous balance of good and evil. Dan Smith and Zac Hanlon were outstanding as the Ugly sisters. From their costumes, skits, and endless quips, even making up rhyming couplets on the spot, they absolutely blew me away.
I have no doubt I will be returning to Corby for more performances, as this was truly tremendous. As pantomimes come, this was perfection in every sense, oh yes it was!