[NEohioPAL] Review of "Cinderella" at Mercury Summer Stock

[Bob Abelman]

Seeing 'Cinderella' with eyes wide open

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the Times papers 6/25/09

 

Since the 1930s, Walt Disney made it possible, and socially acceptable, for adults to derive child-like pleasure from watching fairy tales.  Sure, his animated musicals were meant for children.  But the quality of their production allowed adults to step outside themselves and, for 90 minutes, be kids again. 

 

In 1957, CBS followed suit with a live, made-for-TV theatrical production of Cinderella featuring Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's remarkable music and lyrics, and starring Julie Andrews in the title role.  The broadcast was seen by over a 100 million viewers, many of whom are still humming "Ten Minutes Ago" and "In My Own Little Corner."

 

The production was adapted for the stage shortly thereafter and is currently being performed by the Mercury Summer Stock theater troupe.  

The acid test for the transfixing and transformative powers of this timeless tale came last Wednesday night, when Cinderella was performed for an audience that had never seen live musical theater.



 "My First Musical" is Mercury Summer Stock's new program designed to give underprivileged children and their parents from the Parma City School District and other educational institutions an opportunity to see their first musical theater show at no cost.  

At first glance it appeared as if this production of Cinderella was more children's theater than theater capable of exorcising one's inner child.   Little attention was paid to production values, which serve to establish time and place, facilitate the magic one expects from a fairy tale musical, and draw in the adults in attendance.  

 

There was no scenery or set pieces, save for large clocks hanging above the stage, and the costuming by Tiffany Hu seemed random and out of sync with the classic story being told. 

 

There was no musical accompaniment to the show's magnificent score, save for music director Eddie Carney at a piano anchored at center stage.

 

There were no special effects save for a half-hearted blast of dry ice during the opening scene  and some animal puppetry handled without any semblance of expertise.

 

None of that mattered to the room full of unseasoned and unspoiled theatergoers, young or old.  Through their eyes, which were wide open, this play was magical.

 

What this audience encountered and readily accepted was a burlesque-filled playground that permitted over-the-top actors dressed in brightly colored clown clothes to serve as doors, a carpet and a lamp and, of course, a fairy godmother, royalty, a dysfunctional family, and a servant girl who would be a princess.   They were totally lost in the unadulterated fun and broad fantasy envisioned by director Pierre-Jacques Brault and enacted by his talented cast and crew. 

 

In this world, the audience was left breathless by the sheer brilliance of Rodgers and Hammerstein, even without orchestration. They were introduced to color-blind (and, in the case of the stepmother, gender-blind) casting, which only added to the fantasy of this fairy tale.  They were subjected to a modernization of the script through contemporary quips, as well as clever pieces of business and in-jokes (the invitation to the Ball was on Disney Princess stationary).

 

The audience was treated to Emily Grodzik as Cinderella and Nicholas Varricchio as the Prince, whose playfulness and energy were contagious.  Their wonderful voices and stage presence made this production soar. 

 

Ample doses of broad comedy came in the form of the hilarious Kelvette Beacham and Jennifer Myor as the witless stepsisters, Robert Gibb as the wicked stepmother, and Brian Marshall as the flamboyant Herald.   Christopher Fortunato, Kimberly Aldrich-Ceja and Lynette Turner were absolutely charming as the King, Queen and Fairy Godmother, respectively, and the large ensemble of young performers was exceptional.

 

In short, the audience experienced a world that embraced the key lyric from the song that closes Act 1:  "Impossible things are happening every day."  

 

With eyes wide open. That is the way to watch a fairy tale fantasy, whether you are an avid theatergoer or new to the enterprise.  Cinderella continues in Parma until June 27.

 
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