Cinderella
This might be my favourite retelling of the classic Cinderella story. It’s full of wit, heartfelt moments, very sassy and with more of an edge. This is an uplifting tale, which shows us what I felt is an important message.
The plot is this… we have our 16 year old Ella who the show centres around. She actively shows how upset she is to be spending Christmas at her dads house with her new step mum and two new siblings. She was meant to be spending Christmas with her mother, and encounters more sadness when she finds out her room has now been turned into a nursery for the twins and her new room is in the attic with en-suite, tucked out of the way.
We can feel Ella's resentment towards her stepmother and new baby twins; however, this stepmother is anything but evil. Ella clearly feels replaced by the new twins, she becomes so unhappy and wishes to be anywhere else.
Therefore, on Christmas Eve her wish is granted, and she is taken away by three magical fairies, to a fairy tale land, full of magic, castles, glittering balls and of course a handsome Prince. This is where the story unfolds.
I really enjoyed the fantasy world Ella is in, as the reality world and fairy tale elements blend together the characters and settings, mirroring or exaggerating the aspects of Ella's real life.
I found the twist they put on the prince so clever, his “Affliction” a curse put on him, that leaves him unable to recognise faces and only being able to know who the person is by their clothing.
Ella meets the Prince, and they instantly fall for each other, but he can only identify her by the shoes she is wearing, you can imagine the chaos when the shoes are stolen from Ella.
I feel like the writers really did think of every plot hole that is in the original Cinderella story and made this make more sense, it was hilarious, an absolutely epic piece of theatre writing.
The professional cast and the Rose Young Company really worked well together, the chemistry, the acting, singing and dance, for me not one person failed to perform with such talent. It was such a beautiful show and production.
Maddy Hunter made her professional debut playing Cinderella. I cant wait to see what she does next, as her performance had me engaged throughout the whole performance. Joaquin Pedro Valdes who plays Prince Chadley, was able to balance the charm and wit of the character, with the comedic challenges he faces (no pun intended there) with face blindness. Also his vocals are just stunning and you can tell he is enjoying every moment on stage.
Simon Yadoo who plays the Dad, Richard and Lord Richard, while his part was small, it was impactful and so incredibly funny with lots of typical “dad jokes” which were delivered exceptionally well.
I think my favourite performances where by Hannah Akhalu who plays Snotterella and Corrina Buchan who plays Grotterella, the ugly sisters. They both had me in fits of laughter and their duet was the most catchy, in fact it had me singing parts of it on the way home. They were brilliant.
One final performer who really stood out was Jack Fernie who plays Mr Bingles, the real life cat brought to life in the fantasy world. He is everything you would imagine a cat to be as human, he got this performance spot on.
This production really does challenge the classic fairy tale ending and asks, what does happily ever really mean. As Ella moves throughout her story, she soon learns that a perfect fantasy doesn’t fix real feelings and that running away isn’t the same as fixing the problems. By the end of the story I felt that Ella has grown, reflected and feels more mature. A good life lesson for the younger audience members to take away.
This show was reviewed on the 4th December at the Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames where it runs until the 4th January 2026. Tickets available here: Cinderella — A new adventure bursting with music, laughter, and festive wonder - you’ll have a ball! | Rose Theatre, Kingston, London
Review written by Sarah Vazquez-Phillips
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Photo credit: Mark Douet
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