CINDERELLA: THE GAGS TO RICHES FAMILY MUSICAL! by Reid Janisse (Ross Petty Productions). At the Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge). Runs to January 4. $27-$85. 1-855-599-9090. See listing. Rating: NNNN
Like those special drinks at Starbucks and carols in the mall, the Ross Petty panto is one of the first signs that the holidays are here. But its a lot more fun than either.
This years edition is a refreshing spin on the Cinderella story, mixing local references, pop songs with reworked lyrics and a silly story performed with gusto by first-rate talents.
Cindy (Danielle Wade, just back from the Wizard Of Oz tour) works at an organic store that shell inherit (according to her late fathers will) in a couple of days.
But her evil fairy stepmom (Petty) and stepsisters (Bryn McAuley and Cleopatra Williams), Kardashian-like creatures who only react when mom yells out Paparazzi, are looking to take over the store to sell junk food that immediately converts everyone who eats it into horde-following zombies.
Meanwhile, a Bieber-like pop star (Jeff Lillico) in love with Cindy (who doesnt know who he is) is also taking part in a Bachelor-type event called the Eligi-ball at Casa Loma.
You dont go to the panto for carefully constructed plots, which generally have a touch of ADD about them. But the jokes the script is by Reid Janisse, who penned last years The Little Mermaid mostly work. Some punchlines are a little risque (there are a lot about testicles), but theres nothing offensive, and it was a good call not to include any RoFo or Ghomeshi references.
The numbers are energetic and well-performed. Wade seems much more confident onstage than she did wearing those ruby slippers two years ago, and her voice is suited to the pop-rock renditions of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift tunes.
Lillico is lithe, lively and charming as the romantic lead, and Petty, as always, revels in his juicy role as the stages baddie.
The other standout is Dan Chameroy, whose Plumbum/fairy godmother figure, in requisite lipstick-smeared drag, nails each one-liner and every intentional physical misstep on Michael Gianfrancescos set.
My one major quibble concerns the casting. For a show set and performed in the countrys most diverse city, the performers are, like Cinderellas fairy tale cousin, as white as snow.
