It’s the most magical pantomime of them all and the one that, year after year, puts bums on seats, hardly surprising then that whenever Cinderella comes around it’s a big deal. That was certainly the case at the press launch of this year’s ‘King’s panto’ at the Festival Theatre, but then Cinderella has a special place in the heart of the Old Lady of Leven Street, after all, it was the pantomime that opened the venue way back in 1906, when Phyllis Dare starred in the title role.
Produced by Crossroads Pantomimes, this year will see the 19th Cinderella staged under the ‘King’s’ banner, albeit in its temporary home on Nicolson Street. The most frequently performed of all the pantomime titles in The King’s Theatre’s repertoire (Jack and the Beanstalk comes second with just 12 outings), Cinderella, perhaps more than most, captures the evolution of popular pantomime from the grand Victorian extravaganzas peppered with ballets and water features, through the music hall and variety eras, the years of slapstick and slosh, to the slick comic seasonal musicals of today.
Recently I was honoured to be asked to take part in Capital Theatre’s Heritage Talks series, reflecting on Edinburgh King’s Theatre’s ongoing relationship with the title, from that inaugural 1906 production through the present day and this year’s spin on the age-old fairytale. The event proved a great success with, as in all the best pantos, lots of audience involvement. There were too many stories discussed to record them all here, but for those who missed it and are curious, here’s a brief top and tale of the 18 Cinderellas to have graced the King’s before this year’s 19th at the Festival Theatre.
Looking back at Cinderella’s association with The King’s, we find its second outing was in 1911 as part of a season of three pantomimes, Cinderella ran through December, followed by Mother Goose and Jack and the Beanstalk in the January of 1912. Whether the three were performed in repertory style, one being rehearsed by day, another performed the same day seems unlikely with two show days the norm even then, so it’s possible the second and third titles were bought in from other theatres after their original runs had finished – a little more research is needed to be certain.
Cinderella returned five years later in 1916, not doubt lifting wartime spirits with its dazzling tale and was back again for the 1924/25 festive season. Even then the Edinburgh King’s was the place to be at Christmas, actor and comedian Will Hay, who was at the height of his fame at the time having made his name in the music halls with his ‘Headmaster Routine’, featured in the 1924 production and it seems likely the routine that had made him famous would likely have been written into this particular Cinderella – Hay was consequently booked for the 1925 Royal Command Performance at which he performed in in front of King George V and Queen Mary and his film career took off a short time later.
Cinderella was next at The King’s just seven years later in 1931/32 when the opening scene was in the home of Santa Claus. Now Santa doesn’t appear in pantos very often. Could the fact Coca Cola had commissioned artist Haddon Sundblom earlier in 1931 to design a Santa Claus for their advertising campaign, which gave birth to the image of Santa that we all know and love today, have been the inspiration for such an opening? It would certainly have been topical. Other interesting facts from 1931 include a character called Sir Heriot Row and that of the 16 principal characters, five female roles were played by males and two male characters by females. Cross-dressing an even bigger draw then than now.
It would be more than decade before Cinderella would feature again as the title of choice, this time for the 1942/43 season. Eight years on from that production, Betty Shaw took on the title role for the first time alongside the festively named ‘children’s comic’, Eddie Reindeer, in a panto that included a specially written teddy bear scene to reflect the popularity of Edinburgh Zoo’s latest acquisition, a young bear called Brumas, which had proved a big hit with the children of the city. Shaw reprised her role in 1956, which also featured Andy Stewart, and a young Stanley Baxter and Alec Finlay as Ugly Sisters, Shirley and Senga.
Again there was a break of more than a decade, until 1967 to be exact, before Cinderella returned to the Leven Street stage, by which point Howard & Wyndham, the owners of the theatre and producers of its pantos were finding their finances stretched – one has to wonder if staging Cinderella was a last ditch attempt to lure back audiences tempted away from live theatre by the novelty of having a television in their home. Notably, Stanley Baxter was back as one half of the Ugly Sisters, this time partnered by the diminutive Ronnie Corbett, in a production that included the scene in which they appeared in now iconic ‘golf bag’ costumes.
Five years on, the 1972 Cinderella at The King’s was the first under the ownership of the City of Edinburgh Council, who had bought the venue from Howard & Wyndham when the company failed in 1969. The cast of the 1972 Cinderella included Jimmy Logan, with Bill Simpson and Russell Hunter as the Ugly Sisters.
In 1979, however, Stanley Baxter was back, this time teamed up with Angus Lennie, who some may remember as Hughie from the ITV motel-set soap, Crossroads. They played Natalie and Sophia respectively, names possibly inspired by glamorous Hollywood stars of the day, Sophia Loren and Natalie Wood. It was also in this production that the Ugly Sisters appeared in the now equally iconic Smarties and Jelly Tots costumes, which were donated by confectioners, Rowentree Mackintosh Ltd. One way of getting a free advert.
Cinderella returned in 1986 following a restoration of the theatre the year previous to mark 80 years of pantomime at the Old Lady of Leven Street. Written by Rikki Fulton and co-starring Walter Carr, the pair also starred as Ugly Sisters, Desdemona and Ophelia… but just four years later, Baxter and Lennie were reunited for a last time at the venue for 1990’s Cinderella.
For the 1995 production, many now familiar faces were just beginning to make their mark, GMTV favourite Ross King topped the bill that year as Buttons, and was joined by the actor and fisherman Paul Young (Senga) and a young Andy Gray (Agnes) in his first King’s pantomime. They played the Ugly Sisters, along with Jonathan Watson, Juliet Cadzow and Una McLean, who played Baroness Burdiehoose.
By 1999 E&B Productions Ltd were producing The King’s panto, putting together a cast that featured both Allan Stewart, as Buttons, and Andy Gray as The Baron, a historic coming together of talents as it was the first time the pair had appeared together in panto at The King’s. Could they have known then the great partnership that lay ahead? They were joined by Dorothy Paul as Fairy Godmother.
Directed by Paul Elliot for Qdos Entertainment who had acquired E&B, 2006 found Stewart and Gray joined by Grant Stott. The triumvirate’s first Cinderella together saw Stewart take on the role of Fairy Godmother, Gray reprise his Baron role with Stott cast as Prince Charming’s evil cousin Rupert – a definite twist on the norm.
Qdos and Elliot were still at the helm in 2011, only this time Gray was Buttons, an elderly family retainer of sorts, and Stott one half of Ugly Sisters combo Gobina and Hocktoo McPhlegm, which saw the 6ft 3in tall actor partnered by the the tiny Ross Marshall to hilarious effect. Stewart was the magical Baroness McSquirrel.
The last Qdos’ outing for Cinderella was in 2017 and it was also, sadly, the last to feature the, by then, firm favourites of the Edinburgh panto scene, Gray, Stewart and Stott, as Buttons, Fairy Godmother and Wicked Stepmother respectively – the Ugly Sisters being played by Andy’s daughter, Clare, alongside the gravel-voiced Maureen Carr.
And so we arrive at this year’s offering, the first Cinderella for Edinburgh by producers Crossroads Pantomimes and the first since Gray’s passing, although with his daughter Clare in the cast as one of the two Wicked Step-sisters, he’s there in spirit.
So let’s finish with a quote from Andy in the build up to his last Cinderella. When I asked him what doing pantomime at the Edinburgh King’s meant to him, he replied: “It’s the one thing you never forget when you walk out on stage at the King’s, that rich history. You are always aware of the greats that have gone before you and what it means to stand up in front of the Edinburgh audience. We’ve become part of that tradition now and that feels like a great honour.”
Cinderella runs at the Festival Theatre until 31 December. Tickets here.
