Staff pantomime – Cinderella
Songs, dancing, villains, fairies, love, dogs and audience participation… it was always assured of being a hit… but the children thought that the staff pantomime, performed in front of the whole school on the penultimate day of the Christmas term, was magical.
The cast was led by Headmaster, Gareth Jones, who played the part of Buttons, sole friend of poor, down-trodden Cinderella (Assistant Director of Music, Michelle Radley) who is forced to serve her jealous and wicked ugly stepsisters (Deputy Head, Mr Ferguson and Housemaster, Mr Tomsett) and their mother (Mrs Adams). She dreams of escaping her miserable life to find love and happiness.
As luck would have it, the Prince (wife of the Headmaster, Jemma Jones) is looking for love and decrees that every girl in the land must attend a ball. With the help of two fairy Godmothers (Mrs Hart, Head of Juniors, and Mrs Veitch, Year 4 teacher) Cinderella attends the ball where her eyes meet the Prince and, after a bit of a kerfuffle about a glass slipper, they live happily ever after.
A fabulous bit of afternoon entertainment, but the sight of the ugly sisters, dancing to I’m a Single Lady, will stay with us all for a very long time.
