Cinderella: A Fairytale
★★★★☆ Magical
Lyceum: Thurs 27 Nov 2025 – Sat 3 Jan 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Cinderella: A Fairytale, this year’s Lyceum Christmas play, is a sparkling, visually wonderful and consistently entertaining piece of family entertainment.
This adaptation of the evergreen story was written by Sally Cookson, Adam Peck and the original company at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatre in 2011, and draws most heavily on the Brothers Grimm version. So there is no Fairy Godmother, but there is some blood (as well as magical birds).
Olivia Hemmati as Ella. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
Ella (Olivia Hemmati) and the Prince (Sam Stopford) first bond over a shared love of those birds, which are represented by an array of colourful puppets made by Simon Auton, directed by Matthew Forbes and beautifully manipulated by the cast.
Not that Ella knows he is a prince – after all, princes are stupid, boring and lazy and the idea of marrying one makes her sick. There is an undoubted freshness and liveliness to their relationship, as there is to so much of this production.
While as put-upon as you would expect by her stepmother and step-siblings, this Ella nevertheless has a great deal of agency, and is performed with considerable spark by Hemmati. Stopford’s somewhat geeky Prince also supplies a real charm.
a great deal of humour
There is more roundedness to the step-siblings, who similarly suffer at the hands of Nicole Cooper’s gloriously funny stepmother; Matthew Forbes and Christina Gordon also provide a great deal of humour as Brother and Sister. Richard Conlon’s Father is a believable and funny characterisation. Familiarity with the story would mean that it isn’t a good idea to get too attached to him, but Conlon also features heavily in the manipulation of those glorious puppets.
Matthew Forbes as Brother, Olivia Hemmati as Ella, Christina Gordon as Sister and Nicole Cooper as Mother. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
Carly Anderson’s Queen provides some laconic, eyebrow-raising humour as well as a gloriously powerful voice.
As the title insists, this is not a pantomime, but it comes closer to that territory than the average Lyceum Christmas show. There is some audience participation, the odd judicious local reference, and the whole thing is colourful, kinetic and pacy. Jemima Levick’s direction is fluent and sympathetic, while Francis O’Connor’s design is a real highlight. The constantly moving elements of the set work very well, and those birds are remarkable.
fantastic fun
Emma Jones’s lighting and Parasol Wu’s sound design also contribute to the effect. The composition and musical direction of Jon Beales are similarly impressive and dovetail into the narrative more smoothly than is often the case, with ensemble members Stephanie Cremona and Leo Shak providing live instrumentation.
Emily Jane Boyle’s choreography also shines; Ella and the Prince’s dance is genuinely touching, while there is an ensemble dance routine that is fantastic fun.
Cinderella_ A Fairytale_(L-R) Leo Shak as Ensemble, Stephanie Cremona as Ensemble, Carly Anderson as Queen, Sam Stopford as Prince, Matthew Forbes as Brother, Nicole Cooper as Mother, Christina Gordon as Sister and Richard Conlon as Father. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.
It is clear why this adaptation has been staged in several places in the decade since it first appeared, as it provides a genuinely compelling narrative, being conspicuously modern without ever labouring the point.
Maybe at times it can get a little breathless, with some parts of the story skated over a shade too quickly, but there is so much genuine magic on display that this hardly matters. There is none of the over-earnestness that can affect family Christmas shows here, and the humour can also attract adults without resorting to the stream of double entendres this often means. This really does appeal to a wide age range, with genuinely funny performances (as well as defecating birds).
Running time: Two hours (including one interval)
Lyceum Theatre, 30 Grindlay St, EH3 9AX
Thursday 27 November 2025 – Saturday 3 January 2026
Various times
Tickets and details: Book here.
Cinderella: A Fairytale. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.
ENDS
