Review: CINDERELLA, Rose Theatre

The Rose Theatre's Cinderella is definitely not a pantomime, but nor is it a straightforward re-telling of the story. Updates to classic fairy tales are not new, but co-writers Chris Bush and Roni Neale give us a recognisable story with several twists along the way; where blended families and friendship are celebrated to create a fun and festive show for the whole family.

Ella is spending Christmas with her father, stepmother and their twins. She is missing her mum, who is away on a cruise. But this is not a traditional tale of good Ella and evil step-family; it is Ella who is rude and rather petulant, calling her baby sisters 'ugly' and giving her kindly stepmother a hard time because she is vegan. On Christmas Eve Ella is spirited away to fantasy kingdom 'Kings-town' (geddit?), where she finds a world of princes, cheese-obsessed mice and a truly evil mother-figure who makes her think that home may not be so bad after all. 

Maddy Hunter makes an impressive professional debut as Ella, full of teenage angst and dramatic behaviour. Hunter shows a child on the verge of adulthood, who is seemingly impossible to please, while also struggling to find her place in the world.

As heir to Kings-town, Joaquin Pedro Valdes is suitably hapless as Prince Chadley; cursed with face-blindness, he falls for Ella but then can only rely on looking at her shoes to make sure she is the same person. 

Kara Lily Hayworth is exceptional as the earnest stepmother Lilith, with a stonking solo "In The Witching Hour" where she reveals her love for and true worry about the missing Ella. She also excels as the cruel and calculating Lady Dungeness, swapping between the roles with ease.

Hannah Akhalu and Corrina Buchan have huge fun as argumentative sisters Snotterella and Grotterella. They have a great rapport in their duet "If The Shoe Fits", which is a catchy and fun song about who will snag the prince. Matt Winkworth's music throughout is lively, funny and has some real earworms.

Credit must once again go to the Rose for encorporating so many members of the Rose Young Company into the show. It's a brilliant opportunity for these performers and one that throws up some real potential every year. In the production I saw, the Green Cast were appearing, with great work from both Dylan Corchete-Quan and Louie McKillop as Prince Chadley's knights. I would have liked to have seen more of Arthur Polidor Williams as a hugely likable Buttons (or B-Dog) and Jack Fernie makes the most of every moment as the aloof cat Mr Bingles, replete with sequinned trousers and a terribly arrogant attitude.

The message of the show is the importance of friends and family in all its forms, but there is an odd hole in the fantasy side of the plot. The prince has face-blindness, but seems unable to recognise anyone by their clothes (except Ella's shoes) or hearing their voice. When you hear the kids in the audience pointing this out, you know it's not just this slightly jaded critic's inability to suspend disbelief.

Bush and Neale's script has some amusing references to the best relationships sharing the domestic load, but for a family show there is an absence of proper jokes-good or bad, the nearest being when a character references the 'six, seven' trend in French when the young audience erupts. 

Ryan Dawson Laight's costumes are very extra-fun, bright and bold, with a interesting set that uses a central rotating structure that serves as inside of the family home, the prince's castle and other locations. This is somewhat dwarfed by the Rose's vast stage and seems like a missed opportunity to create something a bit more spectacular.

There is a lot of heart in this production, with great songs and a talented cast. Younger audience members will forgive the uneven plotting and come out humming many of the tunes and perhaps grateful they won't be having microwaved pumpkin for their festive lunch.

Cinderella is at the Rose Theatre until 4 January 2026