Cinderella (Chelmsford)

It may not be the most spectacular version of ''Cinderella;; in our theatres this Christmas, but Simon Aylin's script and direction use the stage and auditorium of the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford to their full.

Not only do we have the nastiest pair of Ugly Stepsisters possible – Richard Foster-King as lanky Wendy and Neal Wright as dumpy Gail – but they come with their mother.

This is Suzie Chard, malevolent in glittering black and, having driven her two late husbands into bankrupt graves, she rather fancies something younger to replace them. Spoiling her and her daughters' fun is poor orphaned Cinderella (Sophie Camble), who's pretty, sweet but by no means a walk-over.

Cinders' only friend is, of course, Buttons. Lewis Barnshaw makes him engaging and I think certain audience members would have preferred him to get the girl rather than Tom Parsons' Prince. But Kerris Peeling's Fairy Godmother has her own agenda and drives the story forward.

Managing Cinderella's transformation from kitchen wench to ball-gowned princess can be a stage management nightmare. Here it's very well contrived, matched only by the arrival of those two Shetland ponies. And of course we have all the well-loved visual jokes, including the ghosties one.

Richard Peakman's choreography covers village merrymaking and palace formality; the band is directed by Tom Curran. The costumes are attractive – alright, I except those of the Ugly Sisters – and the scenery suitably suggests picture-book illustrations.