A Tale of Cinderella
Book by W.A. Frankonis; Music by Will Severin and George David Weiss;
Lyrics by George David Weiss
Columbia River Reader Arts Review
by Jennifer Cheney
Forget the traditional Cinderella story…this version is an Italian folk tale with style!
An appreciative crowd of about 200 attended the Friday (Nov 7, 2008) night opening night of Rising Star Production's fall musical, A Tale of Cinderella, and were treated to an evening of creative dance, enchanting music and colorful visual delight.
Personally, I've always viewed Cinderella as being rather wimpy. Not this gal! Cinderella (Debi Meyers) has real backbone in this story. After losing her mother (Jaycelaine Fortin) to illness and growing up with her father (Josh Larson), Cinderella (also known in this version as Angelina) is subdued by her new stepmother (Alexis Bloomfeldt) and stepsisters into a life of servitude. By choice, she often suffers in silence to protect her father, who is under a spell cast upon him by her stepmother by use of a magical amulet that once belonged to Cinderella's mother. Cinderella harbors deep resentment for such ill treatment and shares this openly with the audience in her song "Some Sweet Day." In an attempt to rescue her father, Cinderella at one point manages to briefly steal the amulet which her stepmother continually uses to bewitch her father. But she is later forced to choose between keeping the amulet hidden from her stepmother, or returning it as the price of admission to the masked ball where Cinderella will meet the man of her dreams, Prince Nicolo (Robert Larson).
Basic elements of the story are present: Cinderella has a magical godmother (albeit not a fairy), attends the ball, loses a slipper, and has to be home by midnight. But several premises are different; if Cinderella does not return home by midnight, her magical shoes will steal all the love from her heart. Her godmother, La Stella (Stacey Hunt Kelley), is a hearty Italian mama with a wooden spoon for a magical wand and a romantic weakness for her rather clumsy counterpart, Il Compari (Adam Pond), magical godfather to the prince. These two create some nice comedy together - especially when dancing, as she is half his height.
Also of particular delight are Cinderella's two evil stepsisters, Moltovocce (Coren Idle) and Seppia (Erica Gonser). This pair sings harmoniously and has great comic timing, obviously having a great deal of fun creating mayhem for Cinderella with their bumbling hijinks. Seeing them in action together reminded me of Nick and Fetcher, the sly and resourceful rats from the Dreamworks animated movie Chicken Run.
And of course - like all good Cinderella tales, this story features a happily-ever-after ending.
Set in Venice, Italy, the set for A Tale of Cinderella is tastefully decorated with a quaint, stone cottage-style charm. A low brick wall upstage frames the canal that carries passengers in a gondola. (This also provides some nice comic touches, as citizens frequently call for the gondolier just as one would hail a cab on the street.) Functional street lamps create a warm nighttime ambiance. The streetwear costumes are beautiful and well-constructed, with soft, muted colors that enhance the timelessness of the surrounding village, while the ball costumes and masks are bright, flowing and elaborate.
On a technical note, lighting for this production seemed rather limited. This is likely due to too few lighting instruments available to create the different moods and areas needed for a stage this large. One particular scene taking place on center stage was unfortunately in too close a proximity to a set change happening on stage right. Due to the angle of the available lighting, the movement of the set change was accentuated and caused some distraction from the actors' scene. However, I must compliment the production staff on the very few overall set changes, which are typically found in abundance during musical productions. The company made good use of their stage space without the need for excessive set changes that can really slow the pace of a show.
Special kudos to choreographer Kristy Larson! The large group dances are particularly creative and make excellent use of the deep and wide stage area. Although some of the actors' synchronized movements seemed a bit off at times, this was likely due to "opening night jitters" that will fade as their confidence grows in subsequent performances.
While the music in A Tale of Cinderella is pleasant and enjoyable, much of it is multi-layered and complex. The cast should be proud of their accomplishments here; it is apparent they, along with vocal director Laurel Moore, have worked very hard to create wonderful choral harmony with music that is complicated and even vocally challenging at times. But they also need to keep in mind that the large space tends to swallow soft voices without projection, or when faces are not directed toward the audience. It was not clear whether there were stage microphones in use during the production. But I was impressed at how well the musical accompaniment fills the auditorium, especially employing only a piano (James Johnson) and an electronic keyboard (Greg Moore).
A Tale of Cinderella features a large cast, more than 35 actors, almost half of which are children. A seasoned actor and director, Rising Star producer Jueanne Meyers works well with kids and young adults, tapping their creative potential. She has effectively filled a much-needed niche in our community by offering positive, creative training opportunities for young actors who are unlikely to find similar programs locally until they reach high school.
Overall, Rising Star's A Tale of Cinderella is an enchanting story for young and old alike, and most importantly, for families to enjoy together. A Tale of Cinderella continues at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22, and at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 15 and 22, at KHS Auditorium. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors and $5 children (with a $2 discount on adult admission for matinees).
