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November 14, 2024
Port Dover Maple Leaf
By Donna McMillan
The whimsical spectacle of Cinderella: The Panto will bring the magic of the holiday season to Port Dover’s Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s stage from November 28 to December 8. Following on the successful heels of LFT’s 2023 first Panto: Jack and the Beanstalk, Jonathan Ellul has returned to direct this Panto “where glass slippers meet pumpkin chariots and a Fairy Godmother moonlights as a life coach for mice.”
A British Christmas tradition dating back to the 18th Century, Pantos are designed to entertain the entire family and all ages whether you have kids to bring or not. Cinderella: The Panto, created by playwright Ken MacDougall, is a skewed, fractured and raucous couple of hours; somewhat unpredictable, Jonathan told the Maple Leaf in an interview last week. Jokes are two levels of humour, Artistic Director Jane Spence said, appealing to adults and children alike. The two explained Pantos are generally based on Fairytales because they are in the public domain, they star iconic characters and the cast can play with it. Jonathan said the cast comprises very experienced actors who are enjoying the improv nature of a Panto. He jokingly suggested “the script of Cinderella is written for the Muppets but we got hold of it.” Every production depends on the personalities of your cast and the ideas that percolate with them, he said. It will be unique, Jane added. You won’t see it again because each production is specific to its year.
Over the years, Jonathan has performed in many Pantos, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and the Seven Vertically Challenged Dwarfs, Aladdin, and Cinderella. Jonathan remembered last year two women walked out of the theatre arm in arm and said the Panto “was so corny; just loved it.”
It’s a heightened, stylized show with the addition of an extra live musician to lift things up, Jonathan shared. This format was precursor to cartoons/looney tunes and uses all the tropes that a Panto can take from a classic story and make it so funny. There are jokes and innuendos that will be funny to adults and over the heads of kids, he said. And yes, in this staging, “the clock strikes midnight, but not before Cinderella swaps the ballgown for tattered rags,” LFT shared. “The ugly stepsisters compete in a high stakes dance – off and the Prince insists on using a GPS to find the mysterious shoe owner.” There are talking mice, disco balls and a pumpkin spice carriage.
It’s promising a great night, Jane said. “It’s fun for every age. A family tradition.”
The cast comprises: Helen Belay as Prince Charming; Allan Cooke as Shania; Raquel Duffy as Fairy Godmother; Katie Edwards as Cinderella; Sal Figliomeni as Lustyria; Steve Gauci as Dandi; Brad Hart as Drummer; and Stephen Ingram as Buttons. The Creative Team includes: Eric Bunnell, Set Designer; Alex Amini, Costume Designer; Steven Lucas, Lighting Designer; Kiri – Lynn Muir, Choreographer; Daniele Guillaume, Stage Manager; Ben Tuck, Assistant Stage Manager. For tickets, contact the Lighthouse Festival Theatre Box Office at www.lighthousetheatre.com , by calling 519 – 583 – 2221 or visit at 247 Main Street, Port Dover.
