Winter in Scotland can feel like a time when nature shuts up shop, colour leaching from the sky, trees shedding their leaves and birds hunkering down, waiting for the warmth of spring. Into this chilly season bursts The Lyceum’s fresh production of Cinderella: A Fairytale. Rather than embracing the chilliness of winter, it casts off the cold in a whirl of nature-based colour and warmth.
Elements of the Cinderella story can be found as far back as ancient Greece and everywhere from China to Malta. Perhaps the best known version in the English-speaking world comes largely from seventeenth-century France and the later Brothers Grimm adaptation, via Disney’s inescapable influence. This production – written by Sally Cookson, Adam Peck and the Original Company and directed by Jemima Levick – nods to much of the story’s hinterland, while giving it a uniquely overt faith-in-nature spin of its own.
Cinderella is Ella (Olivia Hemmati), who charms the birds of the forest in classic Snow White style, although with rather more insightful ornithological knowledge than your typical Disney Princess. Left at the mercy of her wicked Stepmother (Nicole Cooper, going full panto villain to hilarious effect) by the untimely death of her Father (an underused Richard Conlon), Ella bumps into a similarly avian-obsessed young man (Sam Stopford) in the forest who invites her to a ball at the palace.
In its essential beats, Cinderella: A Fairytale doesn’t stray from the tried and tested formula, but its details might raise an eyebrow or two among the Grimm Brothers. One character dresses as a dog for much of the second act – no coherent logic is ever supplied for the decision but plenty of child-friendly amusing hi-jinks ensue, which is reason enough.
Perhaps the biggest shift from the familiar story is a focus on the magic of nature rather than ‘real’ magic; no Fairy Godmother appears to set the world to rights. Instead, it is nature – specifically the birds Ella loves so much and which are brought to beautiful life by elegant puppetry – that solves her problems and ensures she will go to the ball. At a time of climate breakdown the message is a worthy one, but the show suffers slightly from a resulting lack of fairy dust.
Happily, the wittiness of the script and the energy of the cast quickly set aside any such minor quibbles. Carly Anderson’s sozzled but good-natured Queen unveils a fine singing voice for the show’s pivotal romantic moment. Christina Gordon and Matthew Forbes provide enjoyably malicious support to Cooper’s wicked Stepmother as Midwich Cuckoo-esque step-siblings, although with a healthy dose of thoroughly modern sympathy for their plight.
The target of their taunting is, of course, Hemmati’s Ella. Her vivacious energy drives the show, every emotion clearly etched on her expressive features. It is an impressive performance that builds on Hemmati’s promising professional stage debut in last year’s Keli. She shares palpable chemistry with Stopford’s Prince, and their bonding over a shared love of birds – each teaching the other – offers a touching depth in comparison to most fairytale romances.
Cinderella is a story that has proved endlessly appealing and adaptable across oceans and millennia. This production offers a fun, fresh take on an ancient tale; just the thing to provide a timely reminder of the wonder of nature and blow away any winter blues.
Performed at The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Runs until Saturday 3 January 2026, various dates and times – check website for details
Running time: 2 hours including interval
Written by Sally Cookson, Adam Peck and the Original Company
Directed by Jemima Levick
Set & Costume Designer: Francis O’Connor
Composer & Musical Director: Jon Beales
Lighting Designer: Emma Jones
Sound Designer: Parasol Wu
Choreographer: Emily Jane Boyle
Puppetry Director: Matthew Forbes
Cast: Carly Anderson, Richard Conlon, Nicole Cooper, Stephanie Cremona, Matthew Forbes, Christina Gordon, Olivia Hemmati, Leo Shak, Sam Stopford