Theatre reviews: Cinderella | UGLY! A Cinderella Story | Ya Wee Beauty and the Beastie

Two ingenious new versions of the Cinderella story deserve to be seen on Scotland’s stages again, writes Joyce McMillan

Cinderella, Byre Theatre, St Andrews ***

UGLY! A Cinderella Story, Cumbernauld Theatre ***

Ya Wee Beauty and the Beastie, King’s Theatre, Kirkcaldy ****

Cinderella at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews

As the weather turns wet and dreich, the theatres blaze all the brighter. At the Byre in St Andrews, Gordon Barr has had the brilliant wheeze of setting the Cinderella story in a run-down theatre, where Tinashe Warikandwa’s gorgeous Cinderella struggles to keep her late parents’ showbiz dream alive, while wicked stepmother Cruella plots to flog the place off for redevelopment as student accommodation.

The performance I saw was slightly dogged by technical problems; and the whole production seems a little short of rehearsal and script-editing time, as some of the comic scenes sag, and the script offers one belated twist too many.

On the upside, though, it boasts some terrific and well choreographed work from the young cast, playing Cinders’ rusty theatre company of dancers, clowns and acrobats, and delicious supporting performances from James Boal as Buttons, and Elmi Quinn and Stephanie MacGregor as a hilarious pair of ugly sisters. If this Cinderella offers a slightly bumpy ride to its happy ending, it’s a version that works beautifully in emphasising the importance of imagination and dreams.

If Cinders’ stepsisters turn in a star performance in St Andrews, at Cumbernauld at least one “ugly” sister actually takes centre stage, in Gary McNair’s new festive show, UGLY! A Cinderella Story. This tiny but well formed tale, delivered by a cast of four, features a stunningly clever, witty, complex and likeable performance from Lauren Ellis Steele as Chantelle, the stepsister who just can’t help being hurtful and cruel to Cinderella, who is also treated like a skivvy by her money-grubbing stepmaw.

The main problem with Jo Rush’s bright two-hour production lies in the tendency of some of the cast not to trust McNair’s hugely entertaining script to speak for itself, and to push the comedy, grotesquery and funny voices much too hard. The show’s central idea though – of exploring the damage done to Chantelle over the years by her cruel and unloving mother, and helping both her and Cinderella find a happy, sisterly way forward – is a brilliant and joyful one; and like Barr’s new take on the same story, it deserves to be seen again, across Scotland’s stages.

Meanwhile, in the 100-seat space of the King’s Theatre in Kirkcaldy, actor-playwright Mark McDonnell and veteran panto director Jonathan Stone continue the hugely popular tradition of grassroots panto which they started during the Adam Smith Theatre’s recent closure for refurbishment.

Their latest show – somehow both shoestring and lavish – is a small, glowing gem of a Kirkcaldy version of Beauty and the Beast, delivered by a cast of five on a stage the size of a handkerchief. Despite these limitations though – and given some outstanding work by musical director by Stephen Roberts – the show sounds and looks terrific, as the evil Lady Thornybush (Christina Strachan, in fine voice) plots to raze Kirkcaldy to the ground and is resisted every step of the way not only by Billy Mack’s magnificent Dame Kitty McCrivvens, her lovely daughter Bella (an impressive Sarah Brown Cooper), Mark McDonnell as daft retainer Jings and Robin Mackenzie as laird and beast, but also by the whole audience, in a local people’s panto to treasure.

Cinderella until 31 December; UGLY! 30 December; Ya Wee Beauty and the Beastie until 6 January.