BIG READ: Pantomime Society's Cinderella wows audiences at Tipperary Excel

You don’t often get the opportunity to visit “Fairyland” but I was one of the lucky ones in the Kingdom of Prince Charming for the telling of the story of Cinderella at the Tipperary Excel on Friday, January 20.

The 37th production by Tipperary Pantomime Society drew full houses as it returned to the stage following a lapse of two years due to Covid.

Having been a former member of the Society I was keen to once again experience the atmosphere and excitement of the production, though this time from a different perspective.

There was a great sense of excitement in the theatre as the children in particular waited eagerly for the curtains to open. As the orchestra struck up and the curtains opened we were met by a sea of colour and then the chorus launched into the opening number, the Olly Murs original Dance With Me Tonight, it was the perfect start as the strong chorus sang and danced their way through an opening that engaged the audience and had everyone’s feet tapping.

Musical Director, Pat Marnane, and his orchestra certainly “hit the right note” with the opening which had really strong choreography under the command of Catherine Ryan.

In any production the children always manage to steal the show and the same was the case in this production. It was a case of “cuteness overload” as the children performed the Disney classic When You Wish Upon A Star and the song written for the Disney theme parks It’s A Small World.

I must give a mention here to Kayla Gilsenan, who does not let her disability get in the way of performing and indeed was a central figure amongst the children as they performed with great enthusiasm to capture the hearts of the audience.

The entrance of Cinderella and her interaction with the children was a nice element in the production along with her performance of Wind In My Sails and the 1958 American novelty song Witch Doctor which Cinderella performed with the children.

The introduction of the cheeky chappie “Buttons” along with the “Stepmother” and the two “Ugly Sisters” added a real fun element to proceedings.

The antics of the “Stepmother” in particular had the audiences in fits of laughter.

The “Stepmother” performed a parody to the air of Biddy Mulligan which had the audience singing along before there was a scene with the King and the Prince as they commenced the search for a bride for the Prince.

There were some strong musical numbers including the song covered by Judy Garland Look For The Silver Lining, the Elton John original Your Song and the U2 original I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and after the proclamation for the ball was delivered there were further numbers including the song from the Walt Disney 1964 film A Spoonful of Sugar and the Lady Gaga song Always Remember Us This Way and A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes from the Walt Disney film Cinderella.

The final act of the first half was the transformation of Cinderella into Princess Cinderella, complete with carriage, and then the chorus launched into the song I’m So Excited by the American vocal group the Pointer Sisters.

As with the opening it was the perfect end to the first half of the production and left the audience looking for more.

A word of praise for the chorus who were really excellent and a special word of praise for Brayden O’Dwyer, who was the sole male out front for all of the numbers and was spot on in all of the choreography.

Not forgetting also the other male in the chorus, Luke Ryan, who in this his first year in the pantomime was leader of the chorus and also played the part of the ‘Bishop.’

In contrast to the lively opening of the show, the second half started more subdued with the “Stepmother” and the “Ugly Sisters” arriving at the kitchen of the Palace.

It wasn’t long though until the fun started and when the “Stepmother” broke into the Chubby Checker song Let’s Twist Again, the audience really came alive. The hilarious dance moves of the “Stepmother” was quickly followed by a venture from him/her into the audience, much to the delight of the children.

When “normal service was restored” there was the Lady Gaga song Shallow followed by The Cancan and the Katrina and the Waves song Walking on Sunshine.

The “Fairy Godmother” treated us to a performance of the song Dreams by the Cranberries, followed by a performance of the Billy Joel song Shameless which was covered by Garth Brooks and featured “Prince Charming” on vocals.

We enjoyed further music in the form of the Joe Dolan favourite Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller before the mayhem of the fitting of the slipper, and when order was restored it was back to the singing with the song first recorded by Gracie Fields Let Him Go, Let Him Tarry.

There was a lovely duet of the Bob Seger song We’ve Got Tonite by Cinderella and Prince Charming before the chorus and cast came together for the finale singing the Kiki Dee song I’ve Got the Music in Me.

The script of Cinderella was by the late Paddy Ryan and the sets were the originals painted by Paddy himself. The producer was Pat Ryan who also played the “Stepmother” and the choreographer was Catherine Ryan.

The orchestra which was led by Pat Marnane also featured Fran Garry Marnane and Bart Kiely. I was very impressed with the strength of the senior chorus and with their performance both musically and in choreography and the junior chorus also excelled in their presentations. I thought that all the principals did very well and there were some really strong musical performances from Cinderella, Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother.

As we are now accustomed to, the Stepmother provided great hilarity and was a firm favourite with the audience who also enjoyed the antics of the Ugly Sisters and the cheeky responses from Buttons. All in all it was a very enjoyable show with a great mix of music, dancing, comedy and appropriate Fairyland storylines.

Of course a show like this does not come together without many helpers working behind the scenes and in that regard it is appropriate to commend the stage manager and crew, those who looked after light, sound and costumes and those responsible for bookings, front of house and programme.

Well done to everyone involved in the production and thank you for providing a great night of entertainment for the local community.