Groundlings Theatre have now moved to their new home tucked just inside the Historic Dockyard, after passing through the bag check the staff point you in the direction of the venue in Boathouse Five.
The theatre remains laid out the same as regular Groundlings Theatre goers will be familiar with. These are large round tables with about 8 chairs around to give a cabaret feel to the theatre space.
Cinderella by the Groundlings company stick to the traditional storyline of Cinderella. Where Cinderella (Georgie Harriet-King) meets Prince Charming (Erin Billington) and she captures his heart. However, without Buttons (Nathan Camilleri) help will the couple get together!
However, they bring it up to date with some of the costumes and opinions in our society today. For example, the Wicked Stepmother is called Karen (Yvonne Maxwell) dressed in a velour tracksuit, rather than the glamorous version.
Peter McCrohon is the fabulous Fairy Godmother whose humour is very close to the mark (which I found hilarious) and if you’re a male over eighteen then watch out as she’s after a new boyfriend. Lee was the “victim” during the performance I watched and he was an excellent sport and played along.
There are a few “whoops” moments throughout the Pantomime although there are many of them and due to the nature of Pantomime you can never be sure if they are deliberately added in and it doesn’t matter either way as it’s all part of the fun. Although the lighting needs to be adjusted as it often misses the spot where the actors were meant to stand, as the team gets used to their new venue I dare say these details will improve.
It’s a fun family-friendly Christmas Pantomime and by the children’s reactions in the auditorium, they were enjoying themselves. Which was echoed on stage by the cast who were simply having a ball.
For more information about Cinderella and future productions at Groundlings Theatre please use the link below.
Three Stars.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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