It’s 1916, and in JM Barrie’s play A Kiss for Cinderella, the tropes of a favourite fairytale take on a wartime gloss.
Adapted and directed by Bethamy Sharp, this wartime drama has a light touch and a message for the meaning of compassion and care at Christmas.
My only previous exposure to this play was the silent film starring Betty Bronson, so I vaguely remembered aspects of the story but not the script itself.
Cinderella (Sinthu Bhairavi) is a poor girl, real name Miss Thing, who helps war refugees and cleans for Mr Bodie (Simon Balcon). She dreams of a ball where everyone is glamorous, kind, and friendly.
In a state of war, good deeds can often be viewed with suspicion, and Cinderella’s familiarity with German adds and additional question mark.
We see a policeman (Matthew Lyon) enter Bodie’s house to investigate, a typical bumptious and loud official.
This is the bombed out East End, where zeppelins zap the sky and it is easy to daydream. It’s no surprise to find a fairy godmother (Gerrie Skeens) in uniform and in the hospital, as what other way is best to serve the beleaguered troops?
Sharp’s direction and Catherine van der Hoven’s design give a sense of the mysterious within the mundane, with characters hidden under dust sheets, and a Prince who is more predator than perfection.
In its modern setting, Cinderella’s dream comes from exhaustion and hunger, but there is no familial abuse or ugly stepsisters. The King is no high and mighty monarch, but one made of the same cloth as the drudge, rough of speech and manner.
In a third act, which is not unlike The Little Match Girl, Cinderella does identify her Prince Charming, but a deeply bleak ending doesn’t allow that cathartic engagement with the play an audience might expect.
Along with Bhairavi, Lyon, Skeens and Balcon, you will find Clara Courty Zanca and Myriam Angela in multiple roles. It’s a little confusing at times to follow who’s who!
Although A Kiss for Cinderella is something of a sentimental play, this adaptation is less delicate and sweet than decisive and strong.
Bhairavi is not a passive observer of events, and there are lots of moments that are tweaked to be more palatable to a modern, cynical audience.
I look forward to seeing how this show develops further!
A Kiss for Conderella was at The Space both live and on-demand (to 14 Dec).
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