Cinderella –Exeter Northcott Theatre, 9 December 2024 until 05 January, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: Cormac Richards.

“A real crowd pleaser.”

Photo Credit: Craig Fuller.

Cinderella –Exeter Northcott Theatre, 9 December 2024 until 5 January,

4☆☆☆☆. Review: Cormac Richards.

For the third year running, the comedy company, Le Navet Bete, are taking a central role in the Exeter Northcott Theatre pantomime; from the, frankly, dark depths of awfulness that it was a few years ago, the annual show is reaching a level which succeeds on almost every level. Along with a small troupe of other performers, they combine to provide some super entertainment.

With Le Navet Bete you expect a number of things; silliness, daftness, acrobatics, rudeness and a great comedy skills; you also get water pistols, snowball fights, exploding snowmen,  a unicycling Fairy Godmother and plenty of bubbles. All feature in this version of Cinderella set in the Kingdom of Exeter – plenty of local gags ensue as a result.

Amidst some colourful sets and excellent costumes, the small company of just ten tell a version of the age old story which just about gets all the elements in without too much trouble. Likewise the tick box list of essentials in pantomime is almost complete.

Rising above, but fully engulfed in the silliness is Matt Freeman as The Fairy Godmother, the ‘Dame’ in this show – his comic skills are unmatched; physically and verbally – it is an exhausting performance in the best way – simply brilliant to watch.  The other two members of Le Navet Bete, Nick Bunt and Al Dunn, take on the roles of comic duo Buttons and Poppers (though these are rather underwritten and somehow don’t really fit in) as well as the Ugly Sisters, Sue De Crème and Bonjela (grotesque of the first order and perfectly realised) – they never hold back, throwing themselves into everything.

Nicci Ashford makes for a bright and breezy Cinderella with a good singing voice; Aaron Dart uses his height to great effect and is a very likeable Prince Farming; Jodie Micciché is excellent as the villainous Countess – vocally extremely versatile and with great presence and control; Nate Payne at just 11 years old really impresses as the (slightly annoying) Quackers and in a range of other small roles – great stuff!

This is small scale pantomime – don’t go looking for huge dance numbers and a cast of thousands, but what is offered is entertaining enough. The song and dance routines are straightforward but unremarkable, but they have the benefit of brevity, something which isn’t always the case.

There are some smart effects, the bubble machine and sauna effects, the transformation scenes…. all pretty fun.

My one gripe is that the script – by Director (and Joint Chief Executive of the Northcott) Martin Berry and Le Navet Bete is lacking in gags; not to say the show isn’t funny, but most of that comes from the various bits of business, the words themselves on the page are a bit uninspiring. Maybe one of the boxes that isn’t ticked.

This is, however, a crowd-pleaser of a show and one is well performed and directed and fits the bill for festive entertainment.

Cast

Nicci Ashford – Cinderella

Nick Bunt – Buttons & Bonjela

Mo Crook – Ensemble

Aaron Dart – Prince Farming

Al Dunn – Poppers & Sue de Crème

Matt Freeman – Fairy Godmother

Tamsin Lynes – Ensemble

Bryony Maguire – Dandini

Jodie Micciché – Countess

Nate Payne – Quackers

Creatives

Director & Co-writer – Martin Berry

Co-writers & Co- Producers – Le Navet Bete

Musical Director – Bryony Maguire

Choreographer – Kim Healey

Sound Design – Robin Colyer

Costume Design – Katie Haywood

Lighting Design – Will Tippett

Photo Credit – Craig Fuller