Cinderella loses her shoe at The Rose Theatre

Lesley-Anne Morley

Performing in the intimate surroundings of The Rose Theatre was both “lovely” and “difficult” for its latest leading lady.

Faye Castelow plays the title role in Charles Way’s adaptation of Cinderella the Midnight Princess.    

“It (The Rose Theatre) does take a lot of people and you’ve got to make sure you are reaching everyone in the back and at the top, while also keeping true to the moment,” she said. 

“It’s really special when you’ve got the audience that close to you, like they are a part of you and that feeling becomes part of your story,” she says. 

Standard Cinderella story but with a twist

Audiences can expect the usual elements of the Cinderella story including ugly step-sisters, a fairy Godmother and Prince Charming, but you’ll also meet a budding composer named Mozart.

Way’s adaptation of Cinderella is set in Germany where an undiscovered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has dreams of becoming a court composer and his music drives the emotional story forward. 

It doesn’t matter which telling of the story you know, they all have a similar message: you can triumph over oppression. 

Different cultures but same message

“Every culture seems to have their Cinderella story,” she says. “At the heart of our show is a girl who’s lost her mother and is completely bereft. Her relationship with her father has become difficult.”

“Whether you are playing for children or for adults, you have got to hope that at the core of it all you are telling a story,” she says.

“We have got a bit of magic and a bit of colour that young people will love. Conversely we have got some very adult relationships and understanding.

Ms Castelow: “I am the black sheep of the family”

“I started with school plays and such and it just evolved. I am the black sheep of the family. (All of them) do respectable-type things,” she says with a laugh.

Ms Castelow has worked in radio, film and television, but her heart belongs to the theatre.

“You can’t deny the thrill of theatre,” she says. “It’s more about what being an actor is for me, being on the stage with that response from an audience.”

In 2010 she worked alongside other talented actors such as Adrian Scarborough (Gavin & Stacey, Upstairs, Downstairs), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes, War Horse) and Nancy Carroll (Midsomer Murders, Holby City) in a revival of Terence Rattigan’s After the Dance.

“It just happens once in a lifetime. It was insanely special and we are still very close. All of us miss it,” she added.

Come and see Cinderella the Midnight Princess from November 30, 2012 to January 6, 2013. Tickets can be purchased from The Rose Theatre and prices range from £12 – £23.