We first see our idle prince, dressed in suitable floral satins and breeches on the telephone to a butler announcing a visitor.  It is this woman in cheetah print leggings, a pink T shirt, sparkly sequinned pink trainers and a make shift wand topped by a star tucked in her belt.  She introduces herself as Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother (Claire Toeman) and assertively denouncess that “Cinderella wants a divorce!” This is unless Charming mends his ways. 

The list of demands are amusing.  First he is criticised for being old fashioned. Putting the seat down on the chamber pot is an example of the nonsensical demands.  But there is a whiff of infidelity.  “Stop seeing Cinderella’s ugly sister”.  Can she be called Camilla? 

Nigel Miles-Thomas lives up to Charming’s personality with his unruffled honey smooth replies.  I was looking at last year’s Festival reviews and found the actor playing Sherlock Holmes in the acclaimed Last Act looked amazingly similar to our Charming. That is because they are the same actor and he is reprising that role this year.  I didn’t find Claire Toeman well cast and she was hard to hear even from the second row. Margot Avery as the Evil Stepmother makes a late entrance towards the end of the play.  

Sadly this show needs a responsive audience to take off.  May I recommend you see Sherlock Holmes the Last Act at the Assembly Rooms Drawing Room instead?”