On the 30th of November 2022, the whole of year seven, (which is 210 students) went to watch the pantomime “Cinderella” at the Theatre Royal in Stratford .
During the trip my peers and I made our way through the dense roads of the East Village until we reached Penny Brookes Street. At this point students were beginning to feel the excitement of a pantomime, a whole new experience for many of us. The vibrant and bustling Stratford was only a few metres away.
When we arrived at the theatre we felt curious and very excited. We went inside and sat in our tutor groups. Then, when the pantomime started, we really thought it was going to be a retelling of a classical tale, little did we know, we were going to transported to the middle of Egypt. Our Cinderella was a stepdaughter, but you never guess who she was the stepdaughter of… Queen Cleopatra herself!
A brief summary of the play:
Cinderella writes a list of how to run a country, her stepmother and stepsisters find it and laughs at her motives until Mark Anthony discovers it alongside Julius Caesar. Mark Anthony falls in love with Cinderella and Julius Caesar falls in love with Cleopatra.
The students thought the actors were engaging. They shaped themselves into their respective characters, really grabbing you into the experience. For example, Queen Cleopatra was effortlessly played. Even though she began as a villain, towards the end of the play she realised that she ruled the country with mismanagement. She decides to help her stepdaughter become Queen of Egypt, alongside Mark Anthony. The play was loaded with pop-culture references, such as to singers like Nicki Minaj, Stormzy which we enjoyed.
Personally, I learned a lot about the theatre and plays in general such as stage direction and ensembles. Therefore, I would like to recommend everyone to go and watch this, or any theatre and experience live performance for themselves.
Written by Zacharry
Edited by : Tamima