There have been many retellings of the Cinderella story over the years; it turns out we’re willing to come back again and again to see a good person in adversity fall in love and have their dreams come true. All it takes, it turns out, is a little bit of magic. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original Cinderella musical was written in 1957, and is a breezy, streamlined telling; no side characters like talking mice, no Grimm-style violence, and no unnecessary backstories (Cinderella has a godmother and she turns out to be a fairy – that’s that!). A classic musical like this feels different – and refreshing, really – amidst a summer of mostly modern musicals.
Eden Prairie Players, according to a producer’s note in the
program, had been hoping for years to put on this version of Cinderella,
before finally getting the rights for 2020 and having to reschedule. Luckily things have finally come together! Eden Prairie Players performs in the
amphitheater at Staring Lake Park, and it’s a beautiful space, especially if
the weather cooperates; when I went, it was warm but overcast with a breeze –
absolutely ideal. At other times, audience
members may wish to bring sunscreen along with a folding chair and bug spray (just
in case). The show is free but donations
are encouraged.
Director Matthew Kraft’s staging made good use of the space. I was curious at first at the relatively
small size of the ensemble, but when they all took their places in Cinderella’s
magical journey to the ball, it seemed like the exact right number of people. One small thing I noticed is that Kraft
played against the sizeist jokes written into the script; it wouldn’t occur to
some directors to think critically about who gets ensemble lines like “I wish I
didn’t like to eat,” but I appreciated that Kraft chose not to lean into
stereotypes there. Melissa Warhol music
directed and led the orchestra, which was possibly the biggest I’ve seen in
community theater. There’s something
about outdoor theater that makes me love an overture, and the full sound of this orchestra made for a great opening. Vocally, personal microphones made
a big difference; in the ensemble numbers, it was hard to hear all the singers.
Brianna Belland’s choreography felt fresh and show-specific
(as opposed to relying on repetitive musical theater standards). I particularly liked the platter dance of the
palace servants and the king, and the variations in style at the ball as the
characters danced more or less enthusiastically, and more or less gracefully
(in the case of the stepsisters). Robin
McIntyre’s set design involved a lot of pieces, which made the scene changes
perhaps overly involved. But I do enjoy
double-sided set pieces, which were used throughout, and I thought the double-sided
staircase was a clever way to move actors on and off on a stage with no wings. I also thought the look of the final scene in
particular was very sweet. Cindy
Forsgren’s costumes were pretty standard fare; Cinderella’s quick-change
ballgown was one standout. The mice and
horse costumes were also very interesting and gave the actors plenty to play
with. Paul Harzell was the lead sound
technician, and while the individual microphones worked well, the stage mics
did little to pick up the ensemble. I also
wondered occasionally if the cast was able to hear the orchestra well, as there
were some moments that weren’t quite in sync (but were generally quickly
recovered). (There was no lighting for
this show, which began and ended well before sunset.)
Because the plot is fairly simple, the success of this show
rests on the audience connecting to Cinderella herself. Fayrah Culbertson had real stage presence in
the role, and her charm and earnestness won me over immediately. She was especially engaging in songs like “In
My Own Little Corner” and “When You’re Driving Through the Moonlight”; in the
latter case, believably winning over Cinderella’s step-family with the power of
her storytelling. Josh Eidem had an
excellent voice for a fairy tale prince, and a great singing tone. Eidem’s Prince Charming was initially stiff
and reserved, making it the more disarming when he found himself in love and
confused as to how it all happened. As
the Fairy Godmother, Latashia White brought in a delightful bit of chaos and
had me wishing the role was bigger! She and Culbertson had a fun back-and-forth in their scene and in “Impossible.”
Joseph Homrich and Cindy Soeldner had great rapport as the king and queen, two characters who care deeply about their family and also about the good of the kingdom. Kellie Klein was spot-on as the haughty step-mother, while Claudia
Stensrud and Nadia Franzen were appropriately obnoxious as the step-sisters. Stensrud and Franzen’s “Stepsister’s Lament”
was just perfect – it’s a short number, but the two actresses came out strong from
the first moment. With all three family
members, it was interesting to watch them reluctantly connect with Cinderella during
“A Lovely Night,” and it laid the foundation for the suggestion of a resolution
at the end of the show.
The ensemble was kept very busy; they played servants,
townspeople, and animals, and were all involved in almost every scene change. The dancing was strong all around, but especially
notable in the silly high-stepping of the platter dance. The transformation of the carriage was a
scene I particularly liked; it was a delight to watch everything come together,
and the mannerisms of the mice/horses were a nice detail. And while I generally don’t like ad libs, the
herald did make me laugh with the exit line, “We gotta go find more feet.”
All in all, this was a very sweet show that made for a
lovely night out. I enjoyed myself, and
the small children throughout the audience certainly seemed to enjoy
themselves. This is a great show to take
the whole family to.
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