Soho Cinders is a witty, heartwarming musical twist on the classic fairytale.
Scroll ↓
Several years ago, my very good friend Ryan Macaulay introduced me to Soho Cinders and suggested it would be a good show for me to direct. He knows me very well, as I fell in love with it instantly - the catchy tunes, the witty one-liners and the modern twist on a well-known fairytale. Not done very often and right up my street.
A modern twist on Cinderella, the story is about a same-sex love that blossoms regardless of background, and age and set against a political landscape - at the time the production went up we were in the throes of Brexit, so it was very relevant.
I wanted the show to be character-driven, and to tug on the heartstrings. We worked hard on that in rehearsals and it paid off - love is love and will conquer all!
I was very keen that this shouldn't be a pantomime but I wanted the 'heightened' characters such as Dana and Clodagh (the ugly sisters) to be just that - over the top but real.
The sort of realism we saw when Ryan and I spent a day on Old Compton Street watching the world go by, gathering inspiration and observing the myriad of characters who frequent that melting pot of ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations - a meeting place for all.
I had some unusual requests for the set designer - the amazing Andrew Laidlaw, and he rose to the challenge. One of the main locations in the show is a laundrette "Sit & Spin" and I wanted a washing machine that 'broke down' cascading bubbles out onto the stage, during Robbie's solo "They don't make glass slippers".
I wanted a pair of sparkling/glass shoes to 'magically' appear from above in a perspex box, which he could then waltz with like Cinderella would have done in the ballroom - both and more were achieved.
I am immensely proud of the production and the fun we had doing it - It will always have a special place in my heart!
“A hearty and sincere production, it’s a more complex story than the traditional fairy-tale from which it is adapted, but it’s a lively and engaging one at that.”
Soho Cinders, 2019, London Theatre 1
All Photography by David Ovenden