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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Cinderella
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One of the most popular of *pantomimes. The story (a traditional fairy tale published by *Mother Goose in 1697) has all the desirable ingredients: the rags-to-riches story of the heroine who begins in kitchen drudgery and ends by marrying the prince; the opportunity for spectacular transformations (such as the pumpkin turning into a coach); the glamour of a court ball and rich dresses; the excitement of the search for the tiny foot (Cinderella's) which will fit into the glass slipper, all that remained of her after she vanished from the ball on the stroke of midnight; and the low comedy of her jealous ugly sisters, played by men and therefore providing a double ration of the usual pantomime *dame.
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