On Saturday 9th December, I attended the 6.30pm showing of Ayr Gaiety Theatre's 2023/24 Christmas pantomime, Cinderella. I took my lovely little nephew Oscar along as my plus one, and I asked him to help me by being my co-reviewer for the day.
Asking an eleven-year-old their opinion is a good thing, right? What could possibly go wrong!
Oscar has already been to another theatre's Christmas panto this year, and he's lucky enough to attend one or two panto's every Christmas. So please be assured that he has other points of reference and is qualified to be my co-reviewer 🙂.
(Note: I had Oscar's mum's permission to do this, and she warned me in advance to 'be careful, he can be scathing!')
I hope the team at the Ayr Gaiety are ready for this. Let's go!
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[Interview location: Straight after the Ayr Gaiety panto ended, in the car.]
Lisa: Well, what did you think of that panto? Did you enjoy it?
Oscar: Yes.
Lisa: What did you like about it?
Oscar: It was exciting and posh.
Lisa: Posh? What do you mean?
Oscar: Well, the backgrounds and stage.
Lisa: Oh, yes, the sets and scenery were beautiful weren't they.
All covered in glitter and sparkly! Is that what you liked?
Oscar: Yes.
Lisa: Did you have a favourite character in the show?
Oscar: Buttons!
[Editor's note: Buttons was played by Ross Baxter at this performance.]
Lisa: Ooh, interesting - why Buttons?
Oscar: I liked his 'pulled muscle' dance. That was funny.
Lisa: Ah, yes - I know what you mean. I thought he was a brilliant dancer altogether.
Oscar: Yeah.
Lisa: Was there anything that you didn't like about the show?
Oscar: No - not really.
I was confused about a couple of things, but that's more for the writers of the story than the writers of the panto...
Lisa: Ok... tell me anyway.
Oscar: Why did Cinderella's shoes not change back at midnight when the rest of her clothes did?
And the Prince danced with her all night at the Ball, why did he have to go to every lady across town to try on a shoe? He would've recognised her face.
And if her shoe was such a perfect fit, why did it fall off in the first place?
Lisa: Hmm.... Good questions!
The Prince definitely did recognise her face... Remember, in her house, before Cinderella tried on the glass slipper the Prince said he was sure it was her.
But the others - yes, those are fair points!
Lisa: Anything else?
If you could give the team behind the panto any feedback, what would you say?
Oscar: (thinks)... There weren't enough jokes about Tories. Only the one.
Lisa: Right 👀
Lisa: Did you like the ugly sisters? They were funny.
Oscar: Yes.
Lisa: Anyone else?
Oscar: It was good that the 3 covers were good. They were just as good as the others. Are they just people off the street?
Lisa: Erm, no. They'll be trained actors, maybe even understudies from the panto, who've learned the other roles very quickly. They've not just been grabbed off the street.
But I agree! They all did an amazing job. (Oscar nods, seemingly satisfied with this answer.)
[For context: It was announced before the show started that the roles of Cinderella, Buttons and Dandini would be played by covers. Some of the lead roles! This show has sadly been hit by cast sickness, and they have done a fantastic job of recutting the show and shuffling the actors at short notice so that it can continue its run.]
Lisa: So, if you had to rate this pantomime out of 5 stars, where 5 is the best show and 0 is the worst show, what would you give it?
Oscar: 5 stars.
Lisa: 5 stars! Wow, that is a good show.
Oscar: Yes.
Lisa: Ok, anything else to add?
Oscar: No.
Lisa: Thank you very much for your opinions Oscar. I'll be sure to consider them in my review.
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There you go. He wasn't scathing at all! Well done to all at The Ayr Gaiety Theatre.
Want find out if I agreed with Oscar?
My review of Cinderella at Ayr Gaiety can be found by clicking here.
Scroll to the end for more 2023 panto reviews!
Lisa 💗
🌟 Cinderella
🌟 The Gaiety Theatre, Ayr
🌟 Saturday 9 December 2023, 1830 performance
🌟 Oscar's rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📸 Production photos: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
🎟️ Disclosure: I was invited to review this show and received complimentary tickets in exchange. Whether I am invited or not has absolutely no impact on my reviews or star ratings. And Oscar has no idea that his ticket was a press ticket. I trust that his opinions are honest and true.
🌟My 11 year old nephew reviews Cinderella (Ayr Gaiety Theatre pantomime 2023) The Ayr Gaiety panto is written by Ken Alexander and Fraser Boyle🌟
📧 For media and review requests contact Lisa_InTheTheatre@outlook.com
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