Mr Francis Laidler, the
king of pantomime must be congratulated on his splendid production of
Cinderella,
which opened on December 21st amid tremendous enthusiasm, and the
wonderful triumph of this pantomime presages another huge success and,
consequently, a long run.
A radiant show, sparkling with colour and scenery,
tasteful music, lavish dressing and fast and furious fun. The principals,
chorus and sunbeams are all excellent: they work together as one team,
happily and joyously resulting in a smooth running show. The comedy,
rendered by a team of six, is the dominating note of this gay and carefree
pantomime. Comedian-in-chief is Reg
Bolton as 'Peter the page', who keeps his audience in the best of
hulour the whole of the time he is on the stage.
Marion
Dawson and
Ivy
Proudfoot are a pair of spiteful
'Ugly Sisters'.
Marion
as 'Trixie' is better than ever, Ivy Proudfoot as
'Julia' gives a polished performance, which stamps her as an actress of
experience and ability. The Principal boy and girl,
Phyllis
Godden and
Bessie Pratt, are
appearing in the same theatre two years in succession,
fully justifying the
confidence placed in them by Mr.Laidler. Phyllis has an attractive
personality, a pleasant voice, and, above all her splendid deportment allows
her to display magnificent costumes to their best advantage. Bessie is
dainty and sweet, and polished in her dancing.
Bradford's own principal girl has certainly done justice to the
parts of 'Red Riding Hood' last year, and
'Cinderella' the present
season.
One of the greatest successes in
the show is scored by
Ivy Luck,
who plays the part of 'Dandini', the Prince's valet. Vivacious, and
with an entrancing stage personality, she scores individual applause by her
work in 'Hunting Rag' and
'We all go Ha, Ha, together'. She is
without a doubt one of the best Dandinis ever seen in any
'Cinderella'
pantomime.
Claude
Worth, as the
'Baron de Broke' is associated with many of the humorous episodes of the
pantomime: a useful man to have in pantomime, as he can play any part true
to pantomime traditions. The 'Broker's Men',
Jimmie
Kidd and
Paul Tracy are
expert tumblers. Their brisk acrobatic work stamps them as knock-about
comedians of more than usual ability.
Pegi
Rhys is a charming Fairy Godmother: so dainty is she that one can really
imagine she comes from Fairyland.
The
12
John Tiller Girls are a remarkable troupe of dancers, who work with the
splendid precision and novelty that one has come to expect from girls
trained at the Tiller school. The outstanding novelty number is that in
which they dance with both hands and feet (covered with shoes and
stockings)and they present a quaint appearance as a result of wearing masks
on the top of their heads.
Then there are The Sunbeams- no
Laidler pantomime would be complete without a troupe of these entertaining
juveniles: They dance and sing their way into everybody's hearts. Their
number 'Grandmother's Days' is especially commendable. Many popular
and delightful songs run through the pantomime, including:
'Lovely to look at'
'If my love could talk'
'Open up your window'
'Love is everywhere'
'When I grow too old to dream'
'Cinderella' is, indeed, one of
the most enjoyable pantomimes seen in
Bradford
in recent years: grown ups and children alike will revel
in its radiance and comedy for many weeks to come.
Extract from The
Bradford
and District THEATREGOER, January 1936. Published and
distributed free by Yorkshire Theatres Ltd. A Francis Laidler publication!
This page was last updated 11th
October 2020
