Review by Dan Sinclair

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Founded back in 2019, Concrete Youth have been crafting theatre specifically for audiences living with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), and Sensory Cinders marks their West End debut. They have a simple mantra: ‘Everybody deserves the opportunity to enjoy exceptional theatre.’ With their 50-minute adaptation of the classic pantomime, they explore how someone can seek to find understanding in a world that doesn’t or refuses to understand them.

After meeting the cast and getting to feel some of the set pieces involved, the audience is taken through an archway and into the theatre. Upstairs in the Studio at sohoplace is the perfect venue, it is an intimate show that gives itself the time to completely engage with the audience and give them a personal experience. You are able to freely move and have your own little space in the theatre. The cast go around and sings us some folk songs, learns the names of the audience and then the show begins - after we’ve been invited to Mama Disco’s annual ball that is. We meet Cinders in the forest, her step sister and well - you all know the story. Interactivity is built into the story, we mix potions, help with the transformation of the dress, and pick out outfits for the ball. All of these sequences have been lovingly crafted through workshops, collaboration with the Henshaw Arts and Crafts Centre and consultancy from Phoebe Kemp to seamlessly integrate the sensory experience for a PMLD audience.

At my performance, I was fortunate to be joined by two members of the Henshaw Arts and Crafts Centre, a Yorkshire-based collective supporting local learning-disabled visual artists. Working with Concrete Youth, they designed a series of sensory materials for the show: large mirrors covered with bright tiles and fur, beads, scarfs, and a David Bowie-esque glitter dress, it was a complete treat. Lighting from Hugo Dodsworth shows that technical design can so easily be vibrant and accessible, a delightful moment has a series of coloured fairy bulbs come to life with music, guiding Cinders out of the forest.

Original songs by Guy Hughes were top-notch, they bounced from disco to pop to folk music and were performed live by our ensemble of actor-musicians. The folk music was the element that really stuck out to me, it was wonderful when combined with the overall pagan Cinderella aesthetic that designer Stella Backman created. Mushrooms, pinecones, moss, twigs, mud, and little twirls of fabric created a world for Cinders that is surprisingly not seen very often, a very Grimm one.

As the titular Cinders, Ellana Gilbert was a joy to watch, she takes the time to bring everyone in the audience on this journey with her and fits into the crystal slippers (or glittery trainers which may have been borrowed from G at the Royal Court) perfectly. As the puckish Fairy Godmother, Emilia Harrild stands out vocally from the ensemble of already strong voices, it felt criminal that she only had one song. Kaine Hatukai is the classic Prince Charming and Mark Pearce is great fun as the cheeky Mama Disco, complete with a big old pair of disco balls. Jess Lobo plays the Step Sister, she is fabulous when strutting her stuff on the dance floor, however in the writing I felt her evil arc towards the end felt slightly confused.

Whilst almost all professional theatre productions strive for inclusivity with their relaxed, captioned and audio-described performances, Sensory Cinders shows how beautiful it is when you build a piece with inclusion and engagement at the root, rather than applied afterwards - this was most evident in Annabelle Lee’s choreography which had Makaton built into it. Coming out of the show, I had an overwhelming feeling of joy - the panto (as pantos so often do) finished on a genuinely touching note:

‘It’s not about whether you’re in or out, it’s about choice’.

Concrete Youth is leading the way in accessible theatre, and Sensory Cinders has proven that they are most certainly the belle of the ball. With inclusivity and a lot of heart, this is a charming adaptation of the classic pantomime.

Sensory Cinders is playing at sohoplace until 5th November.

Tickets from: https://sohoplace.org/shows/sensory-cinders

Photos by Shona Louise