Okay,
sure, Jerry Lewis did it first in Cinderfella,
turning the Cinderella story on its head and switching genders of the poor
little heroine. But as inventive as Lewis was, he could never have anticipated
Cinderella being turned into Robbie, a young gay man who is having an affair
with a married (to a woman) mayoral candidate, James Prince, in London, England
while diddling a Lord Bellingham on the side.
That’s
the essence of the musical Soho Cinders
now being produced by the Mercury Theatre Company. Robbie shares his confusion
with his girlfriend Velcro during their frequent meetings at the local
laundrette, Sit and Spin. And that relationship actually turns out to be the
most affecting and resonant one in the show
The
music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe range from acceptable to
downright wonderful. Although the book by Drewe takes some enormous leaps of
logic, eschewing reality when it comes to a political candidate having such
dalliances.
As
with Cinderella, the story comes to a climax during a ball, when the three men
meet awkwardly. Robbie has managed to get to the fancy-dress affair despite the
shenanigans of his evil stepsisters Dana and Clodagh.
Under
the direction of Pierre-Jacques Brault, the cast is quite competent with a
couple standout moments. The duet between Mason Henning as Robbie and Kennedy
Ellis as Velcro is drop-dead gorgeous. And Amiee Collier and Kelvette Beacham
as the sisters spare no calories in making the women as nightmarish as
possible. That comes to a head in the song “I’m So Over Men” which, as you
might expect, is so wrong.
As
Prince (who is, you know, the “Prince”), Brian Marshall dials back the attitude
he often brings to character roles, playing a fairly straight (though gay)
character with a bracing degree of honesty. And Joe Monaghan as Prince’s campaign manager adds a dash of
sarcastic edge to the proceedings.
Even
though the overall pace of the show seems a bit lethargic, and the British
colloquialisms and accents are incomprehensible at times, the music shines
forth. That makes Soho Cinders a
must-see for those who relish new musicals that are willing to take chances.
Soho
Cinders
Through
June 23 produced by Mercury Theatre Company, Notre Dame College, Regina Hall,
1857 S. Green Rd., South Euclid, 216-771-5862, mercurytheatrecompany.org.
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