John de los Santos is a very talented director, but in this production there’s a lack of focus. There is abundant talent in the cast, but where the show falters is in the direction. Uptown’s production is solidly good and quite enjoyable but it is not perfect. The musical is at times a satire, a farce, a slapstick comedy, yet it also has heart. It skewers political grandstanding, the tabloid press, and the hypocrisy of the upper classes that pretend to not succumb to baser instincts.
#SOHO CINDERS FULL#
The production is zesty, fun, and full of wonderful tunes. Instead of a glass slipper, a cell phone serves as the item left behind at the “arty. The story uses a narrator that also serves as commentator and at times appears as a character in various scenes. The fairy Godmother? None really exists in this production but the person closest to this character is his best friend Velcro who doesn’t perform any magic but simply encourages him to believe in himself.
His two stepsisters are ladies of the night, and his prince is a London mayoral candidate engaged to a woman. Cinderella is actually a fella by the name of Robbie who works as an escort in order to pay for his college books. The difference is that the action takes place present day in London’s Soho district. Soho Cinders is a modern re-telling of the Cinderella story. This is quite a coupe for the theatre company and it’s clear to see by their production why it’s been so popular across the pond. debut of London’s West-end hit musical, Soho Cinders. Reviewed by Mark-Brian Sonna, Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN It makes for a fun evening.By George Stiles, Anthony Drewe and Elliot DavisĮnsemble – Clinton Greenspan, Kelly Holmes, Drew Kelly, Sara Shelby-Martin, Nikki McDonald, Steve Robert Pounds, Blake Rogers, and Molly Welch. It’s a well-meaning play brimming with hopeful kindness and soundtracked by infectious music. Like any fairy tale, Soho Cinders is tied up with a big, beautiful bow, concealing some of its loose threads, but maybe that’s just what audiences are craving. For a tale trying to shed light on exclusion, though, it is overwhelmingly white and lacks meaningful intersectionality. Soho Cinders is set in a familiar world of political spin, where the optimistic candidate is forced to face his truth, and it touches base with a lot of modern woes. The second comic relief is William George, the spin doctor for the mayor, whose lines recall the sharp-edged and insult-driven dialogue of The Thick of It. Nonetheless, their boisterous voices deliver cracking one-liners, and they are given a platform to share their incredible vocal range. Stepsisters Clodagh (Michaela Stern) and Dana (Natalie Harman) stagger around the stage in a caricatured portrayal of working-class fame-grabbers. Yet, ultimately the script isn’t as modern as it purports to be, and the fabulous singing-and-dancing cast is let down by roles that seem stereotypical and unoriginal. The jokes use pop culture to get the audience in on the punchlines. The voiceover sounds reminiscent of a Big Brother presenter. The musical has a satirical tone which mostly hits its marks. Although it has certainly been reworked in a similar way before, the joyful music makes for a fun night. It’s a complicated modern love story, to say the least. As his mother’s will was never written, he has nothing and no one in the world aside from his best friend Velcro, secret lover and mayoral candidate, James Prince, and his sugar daddy/not-so-fairy godmother, Lord Bellingham. He can’t pay rent and his recently deceased mother’s laundrette is being taken from him by his decidedly awful stepsisters.
Robbie is down on his luck in Crompton Street. This updated revival of the tale shines a light on the seemingly futile quest for true love against the backdrop of our messy political times. With bubbly music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, Soho Cinders at Charing Cross Theatre reworks the classic Cinderella story.
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