Tinderella ⚝⚝⚝⚝
Union Theatre, London

Pantomime comes in three varieties, kids, family and adult. All involve slapstick humour but the key source of comedy, the double entendre, gets explicit as the age range goes up. The stories are traditional fairy or folk tales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin etc) and are refreshed with new elements every year. Expect a recent number-one pop song to be incorporated, even in the year when it was Cardi B’s WAP. The main protagonist called the Principal Boy, is played by a girl presenting as a boy who falls in love with a girl presenting as a girl. Gender is an illusion. The main humour is driven by the Dame, a drag queen, and usually, the whole thing hangs off this casting. Add in call and response to the audience (‘It’s behind you’ being the most common when evil is sneaking up on the hero), a good old sing-along and you have a piece of familiar chaos that meanders through history, gender, love and triumph over evil with over the top costumes and lavish show numbers. 

Tinderella, at the Union Theatre, directed by Robert McWhir, is gay adult panto at its filthiest. Poor Ella (Laura Mead), daughter of Baron Hardon, is tired of having to look for wood on Clapham Common. Exhausted from waiting for her prince to come, her last hope is Prince Charming’s famous balls. Only her step sisters (Alan Kelly and Edward Denby) lie, sit, and kneel in her way. Aided by Fairy G (Gabriel Mokake) she finally unites with her Prince (Lauren Bimson) until the unfortunate stroke of midnight. Leaving behind her barrier contraceptive her Prince then has the task of finding the one, perfect girl that fits it. 

Tinderella is an enthusiastic two handed grab at panto. By the second act, it is revving on all engines. The set pieces are gustily delivered on a tight stage, with a tiny but committed cast that fervently believes that there are no small parts. It’s rough around the edges, stretching a tight budget, but hilarious and hearty. Just the right balance of feeling dirty and feeling good.

Queerguru Contributing Editor ANDREW HEBDEN is a MEDIA and cultural STUDIES graduate spending his career between London, Beijing, and NYC as an expert in media and social trends. As part of the expanding minimalist FIRE movement, he recently returned to the UK and lives in Soho. He devotes as much time as possible to the movies, theatre, and the gym. His favorite thing is to try something (anything) new every day”