The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Dame invites audiences to get behind Cinderella
Ayear after a rather subdued Christmas with everything happening over Zoom, Perth panto is now back for an uproarious in-person performance – oh yes it is!
Audiences looking for Christmas magic and sparkles are invited to have a ball with Cinderella and pals at Perth Theatre from November 27 until December 31, with an audio described and BSL interpreted performance on December 18.
Ewan Somers, who last donned the dame frock and heels in Perth Theatre’s Snow White and The Seven Dames in 2018, will be joining Perth’s regular favourite Barrie Hunter to form hilarious ugly sister double act Bella and Ella.
Boo-able baddie Helen Logan returns as the Wicked Stepmother and Betty Valencia makes her Perth Theatre debut as Cinderella, while Lewis Winter Petrie plays the Prince and Neshla Caplan is the Fairy Godmother.
“We’re so excited that we’ll finally be able to perform in the same room as the audience”, says Barrie, who is also the panto director.
“It has felt like a really long time coming.
“Earlier on in the year we were cautiously making plans, wondering if it will all have to be done on Zoom again or just partly.
“But in June, after a few announcements from the Scottish Government, things started to look good, so we took the plunge and decided to do it as an in-person event.
“It was very hectic because we’d normally start planning the panto in January, so we were essentially five months behind.”
This is the third year that Barrie has taken on a director role, as well as starring in the production himself – a gargantuan feat of stamina that sees him working around the clock, including working on the script and storyline.
His version of the famous fairytale is unlike any other we’ve come across in the story books.
Barrie’s Cinderella works in her late father’s shop, but her stepmother and stepsisters, Bella and Ella, are doing their very best to make her life a misery.
They’ve taken over the business, making poor Cinderella do all the work, while they are living their best life – so unfair!
Cinderella’s work mate and best pal, Buttons, is furious that she’s so badly treated, but Cinders is more concerned about how the rest of the workforce are feeling – unlike Bella and Ella, who only care about shopping.
And now it’s all change – the business is modernising, shop staff siblings Stella and Arthur are being laid off, and Buttons seems to have disappeared into thin air.
Throw in a Prince who has renounced all Royal duties, a charity ball, plus some riverside wildlife, and a cracking pair of shoes, and what you have is a slightly surreal story that promises much hilarity.
Perhaps the wackiness isn’t surprising – after all, Barrie’s career in pantomime started out when he was headhunted while playing the part of a cross-dressing, trumpetplaying stripper.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate was spotted by Scottish director Andrew Panton, visiting professor at the Conservatoire and artistic director at Dundee Rep
Theatre, who persuaded him to try his hand at being a pantomime dame.
“I was almost coerced into it, in a way”, laughs Barrie. “It was something I’d never done before. At first I declined, but eventually I decided to do it. That was 10 years ago and here I still am!
“I’m also part of the Rep Theatre Ensemble and act in serious productions, such as Arthur Miller plays.
“It’s such a contrast to being a pantomime dame but I love the variety. I think if you just do the same thing all the time it would quickly get boring.
“I will never tire of doing theatre though. I always knew that’s what I would do because I just love the energy of being in the same room as the people watching.
“When we rehearse pantomimes, it’s very different doing that with the theatre empty, compared to how it is when the audience is there during the real performances – things don’t really gel until the audience is there.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about this year’s visitor numbers. We understand some people may still be cautious about coming to an indoor venue but we hope many will come and enjoy themselves while still keeping safe.”