Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, until 8 January 2012

IMAGINE Theatre returns to Eden Court for the third time to bring some of their tongue-in-cheek fabulousness to Cinderella.

WITH an evil step-mother, a handsome Prince and a beautiful heroine, it’s no wonder that it’s become the world’s favourite show to watch at Christmas time. As with nearly every pantomime, the tedious central love story was quickly overshadowed by the riotous antics of Cinderella’s unrequited admirer Buttons, and the marvellous Ugly Sisters, played by Alastair G Bruce, Greg Powrie and director Ian Lauchlan respectively.

Eden Court's new production of Cinderella

In fact, said cast members were so hilarious that I began to wonder why modern pantomimes don’t just do away with a fundamental romantic plot. At the very least, it would have been a lot more fun to see Cinders turn down the proposal of the dreary, pompous and, unsurprisingly, minted Prince in favour of the much more loveable Buttons. I certainly know which guy I’d have gone for…

However, petty qualms aside, Anna Mitcham and Clare Waugh did make an admirable pairing as the starring couple, and plenty of light-hearted comments were made about the fact that Prince Charming and his page, Dandini, did not appear to be wearing any trousers. Aside from this unexplained wardrobe omission, the costumes were a definite highlight of the evening’s performance.

The ugly sister’s outfits were a particular treat, consisting of dresses shaped like Terry’s Chocolate Oranges and open purses, complete with huge coins spilling out over the bodice. The sets were straight out of a storybook, with huge, larger- than-life illustrations, a fairy-tale ballroom and even a gasp-inducing floating horse-drawn carriage – far more impressive than any CGI effect.

What with all these swish finishing touches, this year’s pantomime is a far cry from the awkward dance routines and dodgy cloth horses that I remember inwardly cringing at when I was younger. Imagine Theatre really is at the upper echelons of panto productions, and, having truly turned the ridiculous into the sublime, will be capable of capturing any child’s imagination this Christmas.

© Rowan Macfie, 2011

Links

• Eden Court Theatre