Cinderella

The Unicorn's Cinderella takes place aboard a giant revolving boat. Not just any boat, but the Floating Cassandra, a (just about) waterborne retirement home for elderly magicians.

While Cinderella is busy bailing out the business and the water - as well as cooking, sewing, mending, tending and repairing - her Dad is at badminton, forming a doubles partnership with one Mrs Yarg, who, he announces, is soon to become his wife and move aboard the Cassandra with her two daughters, Monopoly and Tixylix. Maybe Cinderella will get some help, and a proper family, at last.

Meanwhile, the Queen has dreamt up a scheme to boost the monarchy's PR ratings with a royal wedding, and throws a lavish ball to find a wife for the prince. Cinderella is desperate to escape her chores for just one night, but with only the Cassandra's ancient residents for company, who's going to work the magic she needs to get her there?

Packed with magic tricks, humour, butterflies and live music by Martin Ward, this screwball take on the classic rags-to-riches story is the creation of My Parents are Aliens writer Phil Porter (The Flying Machine, 2008). It is also the first production to star the Unicorn's 2009-10 Ensemble:
Amaka Okafor, Ery Nzaramba, Julie Hewlett, John Cockerill, Liam Lane and Samantha Adams. Russell Craig's imagination runs riot in a design that captures all the fun and inventiveness of Porter's script.