Take a tried and tested pantomime formula, throw in a healthy dollop of innuendo, profanity and filth, and a couple of cheeky drag queens, mix it all together, and you get Leonard Hatter and Pedro El Toro’s gloriously bonkers Tinderella. This is a panto like you’ve never seen before; and trust me, this isn’t a show to which you’ll want to bring your kids!
Directed by William Spencer, this panto is very much based on Cinderella, complete with ugly stepsisters, a prince’s ball, and a fairy godmother. We are taken through main protagonist Ella’s journey to attend the ball amid perpetually being under the tyrannical control of her stepsisters. It also, however, utilises modern tropes, language and technology to make it feel relevant, in addition to throwing in a generous smattering of foul language, vulgar innuendo and highly suggestive choreography, making for a thoroughly, deliciously entertaining piece of theatre.
Verity Walker as Ella gives us a charming, enchanting lead, and what was particularly brilliant was the juxtaposition of contrasting mindsets, as she depicts a distinct naïve sweetness, whilst also displaying as much innocence as a nun in a cucumber field; her big-balled prince is portrayed with terrific gusto and fervour by Elizabeth Parkin.
Fairy godmother Megan Edmondson adeptly guided us through the woods in hilarious fashion, and Joshua David as Buttons equally keeps us fully engaged and immersed with his winning personality, with the audience this particular evening opting to have him refer to them as “twats”. Dale Vicker and Luca Crawford as the two ugly sisters are always wonderfully funny, completely outrageous, and superbly sassy, both clearly talented comic performers, and working off one another delightfully.
Whilst this is absolutely recognisable as a pantomime, what sets it apart is its distinctly, unashamedly adult content, containing many common panto tropes we know and love - with the group number “If I Were Not In Pantomime…” and its choreography particularly clever in the most lewd way possible. But what’s particularly endearing is the fact that it never takes itself too seriously, it knows exactly how silly and over the top it is, and also very much pokes fun at both itself and the genre as a whole. The jokes may not always be well thought out, but this is still fun, frivolous, pure filth, and riotously funny.
★★★★☆ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Robin Savage
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