An annual event, Theatre Replacement’s An East Van Panto is back and more fun than ever. The stellar team behind last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto are back with Cinderella. Veda Hille, Amiel Gladstone, and Charles Demers bring their newest creation full of hilarious costumes, talented performers, and fun for the whole family to the York Theatre from December 3 to 28.
Taking inspiration from the original Cinderella fairytale, Theatre Replacement promises to woo the crowd with big laughs and big fun.
In an interview with The Peak, Veda Hille let me in on the details of the show. Veda is Theatre Replacement’s in-house composer and has been working with the company since 2003.
This year, Cinderella: An East Van Panto promises to “shake it up and do something very silly and fun,” says Hille. “We are doing a completely original show. We are really making sure it’s local and it’s us.”
The theatre company focuses on telling the story of living in East Vancouver with their annual pantomimes, this year focusing on “Fraser and Hastings, some hipster skewering, some craft beer, and some gelato,” says Hille.
Cinderella promises to follow the pantomime tradition of holiday musical comedy theatre, taking familiar stories and adding music, dance, and modern references to create exciting new performances.
The performance is guaranteed fun for everyone, both the young and the young at heart. As Hille states, “It’s a family show, it’s definitely great if you have kids from ages 5 to 12. Last year we had everybody, and reports were good.”
For fans of Disney’s version of the story, this version promises to be different in every way. However, this is where the excitement of pantomime lies, as audiences wonder how the classic tale will be transformed.
“There are some big, big numbers [in the pantomime],” said Hille, “lots of singing and dancing and lots of fun. It’s a seasonal tradition in East Van; something we can all get together and do before Christmas.”
For more information, visit thecultch.com.
