A nearly sold-out audience filled the Auditorium Theatre, Tuesday,
for the opening night of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” brought to
town by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. I was surprised at the full house
(on a Tuesday) and the age-span of the viewers, from pre-school tots to
grandparents pushing walkers and in wheelchairs. Little girls — and some boys,
too — clad in dress-up clothes and wide-eyed with
delight despite the hour, drove home the wonder that great theater can bestow.
In Britain, pantomimes or “pantos” — entertaining
family theater with fantastical storylines and sometimes brash humor — are a
traditional part of the holiday season. It is pleasing that Rochester has the
chance to escape into on-stage magic with “Cinderella” in the run-up to the
Holidays.
This “Cinderella,” a 2013 Tony Award-winner, was full of
spectacle, props, and costume changes, leaving you scratching your head in
amazement.
“How do they do that? The magic,” my 6-year-old companion,
Lily, whispered incredulously when Cinderella’s pumpkin disappeared in a
swirling fog of smoke which cleared seconds later to reveal a large, shiny gold
carriage harnessed to incredibly real-looking horses.
Gasps filled the old theater when Cinderella’s drab brown and
green everyday outfit materialized into a shimmery white ball gown after a few
twirls. What sorcery is this? Kudos to Costume Designer William Ivey Long who
won the 2013 Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony awards for his work on
this show.
The storyline differs considerably from the fairytale story,
but, hey, artistic license and all that. And while some tots may have been
disgruntled at the plot changes (“That’s not how it goes!” Lily complained when
Cinderella scurried back to fetch her dropped glass slipper after the ball),
the spins on the story probably kept weary adults more alert and engrossed.
The stand-outs in this production are Kecia
Lewis as Marie, a “crazy” homeless woman (and fairy godmother); and the
hysterical stepsisters, Aymee Garcia as Charlotte and
Ashley Park as Gabrielle. Beth Glover delivers a darkly humorous stepmother and
Paige Faure is charming as Cinderella, all goodness and light. Blake Hammond
was excellent as Glover’s foil, Sebastian, adviser to, and manipulator of, the
sheltered Prince Topher, played by Andy Jones, who
exemplifies boyish ideals and princely good looks.
The show’s straight-forward humor keeps coming at you,
peaking whenever the stepsisters and mother are on-stage.
“Seriously?!” Charlotte quips when the prince runs after
Cinderella. “Seriously?”
This “Cinderella” features a new character: Jean-Michel, a
revolutionary who is wooing one of Cinderella’s stepsister Gabrielle. His
determination to open the young prince’s eyes to the vast injustices in his
kingdom add a politically correct tact to this tale of domestic enslavement,
but, in my opinion, wasn’t really necessary. Or, maybe, I just don’t like the
storylines of my fairytales messed with.
The music and choreography seemed close to perfection. No
wrong notes, no un-pleasing voices, just professional deliveries of clever show
tunes. On the other hand, none of the songs stayed in my head after the show
ended. The choreography by Josh Rhodes, however, went beyond what I expected,
incorporating romantic lifts during the ballroom and wedding scenes, and a
humorous number featuring the unchosen women of the kingdom holding and
clapping together their not-sought-after dance slippers.
There was a brief blight in Tuesday’s performance when
technical difficulties stopped the production for a couple of minutes during
the first act. However, Lewis was on-stage and adeptly turned the misfortune
into almost a humorous episode. Surely, the technical issues will be righted by
the next performance.
All in all, “Cinderella,” is rich fare for those seeking
bedazzlement, romance and superb song and dance on-stage.
This article appears in Dec 10-16, 2014.
