Cinderella
Cinderella by Matthew Whittet
Belvoir
Concept by Anthea Williams, with Matt Whittet and the Mandy McElhinney, very grown-up, though sometimes infantile, race to the bottom of human dignity in the pursuit of love. There are countless versions of Cinderella. As an idea she’s spoken to many different cultures. Depending on the focus, where you chose to look, the story of Cinderella can always transform. It can become one of brutal violence, of moral redemption or of glittering fancy.
This Cinderella is not about princes and princesses. It’s about a single woman in her 40s trying to go on a date, and a single guy who has an unreasonable fear of not being heard over loud music in bars. There may not be any ugly sisters, but there’s the occasional mysterious animal. There’s midnight. There’s a shoe. There’s dancing. And there’s beautiful transformation.
Reviews
“Matthew Whittet and Anthea Williams’s Cinderella is about our need for love, but it seeks to transform the fantasies and lies of Disney world, relocating it to a space of truth, lived experience, and disappointment…The show looks at how we survive loneliness, and the meaning of sex and relationships in the era of dating apps and casual hook ups. The reality is unbearably grim, but it is human to shield our vulnerability with dreams. In affairs of the heart, delusions and hope are two sides of the same coin, and only the ones looking at the stars will stand a chance of fleeing the gutter.”
“Cinderella undermines the Hollywood rom-com to hilarious effect. Mandy McElhinney and writer/actor Matthew Whittet both give mesmerising performances”
Concrete Playground
“In beautiful performances Mandy McElhinney and Matthew Whittet capture all the little faltering offers, acceptances and sudden attempts to escape that needy people make when they are meeting for the first time.”
The Australian
“Having worked together on Old Man at Belvoir, director Anthea Williams (Forget Me Not) and writer/actor Matthew Whittet (School Dance) have re-teamed to create a new version of Cinderella….what they’ve created is ultimately far more mysterious and oblique than we’ve come to expect from the genre. It’s not just the story and the characters that are being reimagined, but even the telling of the tale.”
Time Out Sydney
“Sparks constantly fly between the pair — it’s a masterclass in performing the bumpy-but-beautiful first date, and it’s impossible not to invest emotionally in their blossoming relationship as it teeters on the edge of failure.”
Daily Review
Credits
Original Concept and Director - Anthea Williams
Set & Costume Designer - Elizabeth Gadsby
Lighting Designer - Matthew Marshall
Composer & Sound Designer - Kelly Ryall
Stage Manager - Elizabeth Rogers
Cast
Matthew Whittet
Mandy McElhinney
All images by Brett Broadman