Ojai Valley News
The final show of the 2018 season for the Ojai Art Center Theater is “Cinderella,” an off-the-wall, music hall remake of the classic fairy tale in the style of an English pantomime. This hilarious musical combines a smidgen of suggestive, topical humor for adults with delightful music, a dancing bear and a chorus line of Bo-Peep sheep in a Bob Fosse dance formation that kids will love. The production runs Nov. 30 through Dec. 16 and is presenting two matinees per weekend for this show. Tickets are onsale at OjaiACT.org.
“I’ve spent a few Christmases in London with family over the years and a panto is a must-see tradition,” said producer Lin Coleman. “You can catch them in London starring national celebrities and in nearly every village where the theater produces their own version with local celebrities. Kids love them as they are interactive and fast-paced, a hilarious mix of fairy tale and vaudeville. Our production utilizes the panto traditions by integrating loads of local references, surprising, gender-swapping roles and a ‘nudge, nudge, wink, wink’ sense of humor which will fly over the heads of kids but keep the adults in stitches.”
Many Americans are un- familiar with this classic English art form. The pantomime form goes all the way back to the Tudor era of England, when this farcical style be- came a holiday tradition that lives right up to the present. A panto is a traditional fairy tale complete with songs, dances, jokes, exaggerated characters and lots of audience participation — great for all family members.
“Cinderella” opens Nov. 30 and closes Dec. 16. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets online at Ojai- ACT.org.