CINDERELLA - Derby Playhouse

It’s Panto time, and that means every theatre up and down the country will be opening its festive production. I’m taking a year off from pantomime this Christmas because I’ve been flat out with teaching Musical Theatre at colleges around Cornwall since last December. So, instead, I wanted to look back on one particular pantomime that I did, and which I am still so incredibly proud of.

In 2000, I was asked to be the Musical Director and Musical Arranger for the Derby Playhouse production of Cinderella. The Playhouse's pantomimes had always been so well received and reviewed, with audiences traveling from all over the area, and so it was a real pleasure to be asked to take over the reins in their 35th Anniversary year. It was to be the usual mix of pop songs plus new material, which I would end up writing during and after rehearsals.

Under the expert direction of Mark Clements and Hannah Chissick, the entire cast and crew created a truly unforgettable production that included the most amazing flying horse that I have ever seen in a theatre. The mechanical horse was built in-house by ex-Rolls Royce engineer Alan Jackson, and the sight of it flying out into the audience at the end of Act 1 was absolutely magical.

The end of Act 1 was the biggest section of music that I had to write for Cinderella, and it contained the transformation, a UV scene, and the flying horse. The tech for this section alone took us two days, but all of the hard work was definitely worth it. Unlike the shorter runs you find today, we played from 28th November 2000 to 20th January 2001! The Derby Playhouse would become the Derby Theatre in 2009, and I am so pleased that I got the chance to work at this incredible venue.

The cast was made up of Nicky Adams (Dandini), Pete Dunwell (Buttons), Caroline Head (Prince Charming), John Jardine (Baron Hardup), Laura Strachan (Cinderella), Juliet Prew (Fairy Godmother), Gary Sharkey (Ugly Sister - Abby) and Andrew Westfield (Ugly Sister - Fabby).

The creative team was Author Mark Clements (Author & Director), Hannah Chissick (Director), Steve Hill (Musical Director), Chris Crosswell (Design), Colin Mayes (Costume), Alexandra Stafford (Lighting), Nick Greenhill (Sound), Madeleine Loftin (Choreographer) along with Greg Hagger (Bass), Jim Fleeman (Drums) and Paul Brown (Guitar).