Book by Ross Stenhouse

Adapted and Directed by Calum Moore

Tickets from £14.00

A pantomime miracle: not even a closed stage will keep the resilient staff of the Brunton in sour spirits as this evening’s sold-out Cinderella welcomes audiences following a school tour with plenty of festive cheer, smiles, and promise of a traditional night of entertainment.

That’s right, the Brunton will indeed go to the ball. It might just be down the road this year… Staged at the Loretto School Theatre, children’s company Hopscotch Theatre slips on their bold glass slippers to ensure East Lothian audiences keep their annual pantomime, as the Brunton spirit of community and traditional panto capers live on while the venue remains closed due to structural issues.

Immediately any fear of the limitations of the show, in compassion to the Brunton’s main stage, is put to rest – in a charmingly festive Loretto School theatre that may seat less but still brims with the same energy the Brunton usually ignites. Staged with a fold-out storybook backdrop from Morven McLeod, Cinderella is a precious, if smaller scaled pantomime, which houses plenty of choice musical adaptations and featuring sound design from Andy McGregor.

Running with the swing of things, popping out jabs at the smaller-sized stage and budget cuts (Calum Barbour delivering a fine line about the restrictive cast size). Hopscotch evidently knows how to stretch what they have and embrace it rather than worry about it, as Cinderella beams with as big a heart as any venue twice or thrice the size. And it’s down, in no small part, to the stellar team of four who give their entire festive spirit to the roles.

Rachel Still’s excitable Cinderella carries a serenity about them, even when whizzing through the Musselburgh woods on their scooter carriage. This is, thankfully, a Cinders looking for a sense of purpose and adventure rather than a Prince and marriage ticket out of the stepsisters’ shadows. In a playfully staged show, Moore uses the space above the audience to full use, including a charming run-by from Still in their ballgown, ready to transport the Loretto space into some additional theatre magic. You may also spot a familiar face lurking above with a water pistol… Returning to the Brunton’s pantomime after last year’s Sinbad, Barbour is a grand addition to the team and is the most at ease with pushing the script’s boundaries and toying with the audience. With some fine comedic chops as the Prince but additionally as Cinder’s adventure-toting (if somewhat negligent) father.

TikTok fame-wannabe stepsisters rule the roost in this fairytale, leading the way is Sandy Bain’s Hacket – a loud-mouthed stepsister with enough attitude to fill their own reality show. An immediate presence with both physical comedy and projection, the brattish Hacket knows how to tread the fine line in hurling insults to the audience but maintaining a likeability throughout. But the gruesome duo is also a success thanks to Kit Laveri’s more laddish Glaikit, who channels their ‘wicked’ stepsister energy into being more of an annoyance to Cinders than the booming Hacket. But Laveri’s real starring role is as a pumpkin-spouting luvvie from down the coast, who takes more of a middle-class pity in Cinders than any usual fairy godmother.

With some fairy lights, a pleasant tale, and a deserving cast, the smaller-scale Brunton showcase pantomime is kept in spirit by Hopscotch Theatre Company – who deliver a charming Cinderella with all the traditional trimmings with their talented cast. There is no disappointment here, only appreciation for those dedicated to bringing live theatre to audiences and spreading a touch of panto magic to as many as they can: a commendable, and entertaining experience for all.

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