Review: SOHO CINDERS at Te Auaha

Currently at Te Auaha, Wellington Footlights Society is staging the New Zealand Premiere of Soho Cinders, a charming, gender-reversed telling of the original Cinderella story. With music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe and a book by Anthony Drewe and Elliot Davis, Footlights is supporting InsideOUT, a rainbow (LGBTQIA2+) youth organisation by donating 10% of all ticket revenue.

Set in the entertainment district of London (Soho's Old Compton Road) and mixing themes of sexuality, politics, greed, scandal, celebrity and true love, the moral is around treating all with kindness and sticking up for yourself in the face of prejudice.

Penniless student Robbie (an earnest Chris McMillan) is trying to make ends meet by working in his late Mother's launderette with his best friend (a bubbly and cute Aoife Walsh as Velcro). Unfortunately, having been unable to find his Mum's will, he is left at the mercy of his stepfather and his aggressive, lap-dancing step-sisters Clodagh (Ellie Stewart) and Dana (India Loveday) who, although they throw their all into their songs such as the comical I'm So Over Men, still manage to look far too nice to truly be the hideous Ugly Sisters.

Robbie is romantically involved with engaged London Mayoral candidate James Prince (Michael Stebbings) and the emotional duet between McMillan and Stebbings, Gypsies of the Ether is a beautiful highlight. Robbie, however, is also being pursued by closeted, older, benefactor - Lord Bellingham (Stanford Reynolds).

Aimée Sullivan is riveting and secure as the Narrator and Abigail Helsby brings a thorough characterisation to James' fiancée, Marilyn and a lovely vocal with Walsh on Let Him Go. Mike Bryant is entertaining as the smarmy and misogynistic campaign manager, William George who is one of the few with a pleasingly unpredictable story arc and a rousing showstopper with The Tail That Wags The Dog.

The ensemble, well supported by Shawn Condon's band, take on the harmonies and Katty Lau's choreography with abandon and varying degrees of success but manage their individual moments well. More physicality throughout, with the use of levels would have improved energy and pacing.

Footlights' Soho Cinders' setting is simple with tall, white brick walls and a large, double door upstage centre. It would have been useful for dramatic staging to have some levels for positioning and, unfortunately, the large expanse of white is distracting and does not succeed in creating an atmosphere of urban grit and the chaos of Soho. The use of coloured lighting against the white is effective but, in many scenes, the front amber wash is too bright and much of the atmosphere that could have been created with more colour, less intensity and more focus is lost and overly stark. Solo ballads would benefit from more personal spotlights, for example.

The dialogue and social critique are aimed at the UK and this has dated a little since 2011. There were comments and one-liners that would probably miss the mark for a modern New Zealand audience and from a dramaturgical perspective, it is odd that Robbie is not instrumental in driving any of the action.

On opening night, Wellington is back in RED so audience numbers have been pared back and strict distancing is in place. This affects both artist and spectator as this type of show needs the symbiotic exchange of energy to create the vivacity and punch it needs and resulted in the pace and energy only really picking up towards the end of Act One.

Overall, Wellington Footlights has delivered another fun and pleasant production of a genuinely sweet show and I was not the only one who left with a big, silly, smile on my face.

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