Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre – Reviews Round-up ★★★★

"Not so much a ball as a blast"

"The original story and book by Emerald Fennell have heart and a torrent of barbed wit, exposing the faulty morals in traditional fairytales without scrimping on glittering trimmings. David Zippel’s crystalline lyrics are attuned to Fennell’s dialogue, cheekily satirical yet wistful and uplifting too."

"In the first of several superb solos, Bad Cinderella, Carrie Hope Fletcher owns the rebellious reputation Cinders has been given. Sneering and raging, she is another of Lloyd Webber’s outsiders and akin to Dewey Finn in School of Rock. Belleville’s prim musical motifs recall those for the elite institution where Finn caused chaos. Fletcher slips brilliantly into her character with winning appeal, her despair revealed in Unbreakable, which evokes Close Every Door from Joseph."

"‘Cinderella’ Is Worth the Wait"

"This 1934 show is Depression-era escapism fit for post-Covid times. If you want to remove yourself from the world for a few hours, this is the place to do it."

"The long-awaited show from the 73-year-old industry veteran turns out to have been worth the wait. “Cinderella” is a big, colorful production, painted in deliberately broad brushstrokes by the director Laurence Connor, that turns a time-honored story (somewhat) on its head. The result may not be quite the theatrical equivalent of its heroine’s cut-glass slipper, but it nonetheless looks set for a sturdy West End run. Best of all: “Cinderella” is fun."

"Happy ever after for Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-awaited show"

"Magical, crowd-pleasing musical at the Gillian Lynne Theatre is one of the composer's best"

"Carrie Hope Fletcher is magnetic as the prickly heroine, who’s really a softie beneath her goth make-up and cynical gripes. She belts out Lloyd Webber’s ballads with aplomb, and develops a sweet, sparring chemistry with Ivano Turco’s Sebastian"

"Cinderella is a triumph"

"Cinderella is a triumph of catchy songs and fabulous wigs — it shouldn’t be denied to a joy-starved public"

"Amusing, unexpected, enjoyable"

"It’s the cast that carries the show: Carrie Hope Fletcher takes the lead and stomps around the stage in DMs with a brilliant ease. She catches the timing of Fennell’s comic lines, and her voice is ideal: strident, loud and occasionally fragile."

"If I could watch three hours of Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as the evil Stepmother, I gladly would. In a succession of elaborate costumes that seem to make her spine buckle and bow, she channels Cruella de Vil and Hyacinth Bucket, adding a 40-a-day wheeze. She is a straining, hunching grotesque, and a blast of pure pantomime joy every time she totters gurningly on stage."

"Fairytale ending for show that must go on"

"With a book by Emerald Fennell, who won an Oscar for the screenplay of Promising Young Woman, this reboot of the story, starring Carrie Hope Fletcher, delivers a 21st-century take on romance. And it’s simply joyous."

"Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new take is a hilarious triumph"

"Laurence Connor’s production mixes panto-style archness with professional West End glitz and springs its big surprise in Act Two. At the ball, the stage and several rows of the stalls audience start to revolve, thanks to Lloyd Webber’s lockdown refurbishment of this theatre. It’s a magical moment. There’s another delightful surprise later that’s crucial to the plot and that has frankly been a long time coming in a major West End musical."

"Fletcher rightly gets the best tunes, from the anthemic Bad Cinderella to the plangent I Know I Have a Heart. But Lloyd Webber delights in riffling through musical genres. Muscular courtiers work out to the martial thump of Man’s Man. There’s a sly Parisian wink in the accordion-backed I Know You, where Rebecca Trehearn’s dizzy but dangerous queen and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt – huskily channeling the likes of Gloria Swanson and Joan Crawford as Cinderella’s Stepmother - recognise each other as social climbers. Theirs is a great comic double-act."

"Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is high-camp fun with a muddled message"

"So was Cinderella worth the wait? Well, yes and no. If this is your first show back in a packed-out theatre, you couldn’t ask for a more visually impressive production. Gabriela Tyleslova’s costumes are an enthralling mix of old and new, and there’s a moment of staging that made me gasp aloud. The production is driven forward by high-camp visuals, incredible comic talent and an electric ensemble cast. But look below the surface – as is Cinderella’s whole message – and you’ll find something more muddled, a show that doesn’t quite know what it’s saying or have the consistent material to support its vision."

"Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella is a gorgeous glitterball of a show"

"The songs are memorable and writer Emerald Fennell brings a twist to the tale."