People’s Light & Theatre presents
Cinderella: A Musical Panto
NOVEMBER 20, 2013-JANUARY 12, 2014
People’s Light & Theatre presents Cinderella: A Musical Panto, written by Kathryn Petersen with music and lyrics by Michael Ogborn. It runs November 20, 2013—January 12, 2014
This year, People’s Light and Theatre Company celebrates the production of its 10th Holiday Panto with Cinderella: A Musical Panto by Kathryn Petersen with music and lyrics by Michael Ogborn. Following the panto tradition of taking well-known folk tales and other favorite children’s stories and turning them on their ears, Cinderella is set in the not-so-distant land of Malvernistan in the roaring 1920s. Cinderella’s animal pals are gangster-types of the era that help her with her chores, but are also detective-types that help solve the crime of what really happened to Cinderella’s mother. Those infamous evil stepsisters are want-to-be flappers that greet folks with a “Hey-ho, daddy-o.” Prince Aidan of Sargasso dreams of leaving his princely duties for vaudeville and he and his valet, Barnaby, exhibit vaudevillian repartee in their hilarious exchanges. Petersen explains that “I’m still telling the tale of Cinderella [but] I’m going to tell it [in] a way an audience has never heard it before and I’m going to twist it and have fun with it. But there’s still the essence of the story.”
WHAT IS A PANTO?
The panto is a tradition borrowed from England, where almost every town has one during the holiday season. Pantos are a mix between a fractured fairy tale and a variety show, using familiar stories to form the basis for exaggeration, outrageous jokes, and rollicking songs and dances. At People’s Light, they incorporate traditional elements, including “the dame” (a man dressed as a woman), audience participation (in the form of cheering the heroes and booing the villains), a “messy bit,” candy passed out to the audience, and a “silly song” that inspires an audience sing-along.
TICKET INFORMATION
Cinderella: A Musical Panto previews on Wednesday, November 20th, Thursday, November 21st and Friday, November 22nd at 7:00 pm. The play opens on Saturday, November 23rd at 7pm and runs through January 12th. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after select Thursday evening performances for a conversation about the production.
Adult tickets start at $40. For tickets, call the Box Office at 610.644.3500. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900 x111, or email wright@peopleslight.org.
Panto Brunch with Cinderella Characters
Join us at 12pm at The Farmhouse Bistro for brunch before the December 8th and December 22nd Sunday matinees and meet your favorite Panto characters. If you already have performance tickets, you can add brunch for $21.95 for adults and teens and $12.95 for children. Brunch packages include brunch with the characters and 1 ticket for Cinderella. $71.95 for Adults, $66.95 for teens (13-17), and $57.95 for children 12 and under. For reservations, call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org.
For more information: PeoplesLight.org
