A new twist on a classic tale, this Cinderella is relocated to modern-day Paris where she lives with her father and longs for the love and glamour of a rather unique Prince. Her world is shattered by the arrival of the wonderfully hilarious and awful ‘new sisters’ and their truly terrifying mother, Monique. Where is a Fairy Godmother when you need one? Read more …
Featuring original songs sung live by the cast, with magic, spells and lots of laughs, the Lyceum will deliver another high quality production to delight families this Christmas.
This new version of a much-loved fairytale is by Johnny McKnight, a well-known writer, director and performer who has written many versions of famous Christmas stories for Scottish theatre. We are delighted to bring Lyceum audiences the première of his version of Cinderella.
With tongues firmly in cheeks, the Lyceum’s Christmas show will take you to the ball and have you home before midnight with a grin plastered on your face.
Self-aware and unapologetically modern, but with a heart of gold which is hard to resist, Cinderella is a magical night out which will appeal to all ages, whether they have to be home before midnight or not.
Dark but hilarious.
It has the exuberance of panto, but without the silliness; and it has the narrative ambitions of a more serious Christmas show but not the psychological complexity.
A brilliant Franco-Scottish version of Cendrillon that is all sun beds, scooters and scarily high heeled shoes. The Auld Alliance is clearly alive and well in the hands of Johnny McKnight.
Ultimately, however, one is unpleasantly surprised to see a Lyceum Christmas show which is so insipid, so unsure of itself and which, consequently, gives so little to its audience.
It's a form of music-theatre that won't be to all tastes or suit younger audiences, but it does grip the imagination with a shock and sizzle, rather like Monique's caress.
CRASH, BANG, THUMP; no, it’s not the sound of a traditional panto slapstick sequence, but the dull thud of artistic failure.
Sadly, it tells a weak story that fails to engage its audience no matter what age they are.
While understanding that the Lyceum shuns the raucous and gaudy traditional panto format, without the glitz, glamour and audience involvement, what remains is an earnest family show that contains some humour and will probably leave you feeling mildly uplifted.
The highlight of the evening, though, is the touching physical delivery by Spencer Charles Noll as the mute Boy (or Buttons, in other words), who expresses his love for Cinders through some remarkably poignant expressions and eloquent movements. It’s just a shame that with the show’s over-abundance of themes jostling for attention, his character doesn’t get more time in the spotlight.
As a comedy it’s all good fun, as you might expect from writer Johnny McKnight, but perhaps the Lyceum needed to invest a bit more sparkle in this one.
Mark Thomson’s production rarely puts a foot wrong, Ken Harrison’s garish designs are spot on and the cast is first rate.
Cinderella to magically appear at Royal Lyceum
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from Thursday November 29, 2012, until Saturday December 29, 2012. More info: www.lyceum.org.uk
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