Boulder Daily Camera Thanks to Dan for this information! Came across this by accident. From the Boulder Daily Camera. Probably the final review from the current tour... Gaudy, goofy fairy tale adaptation lacks spark By Patrick Dorn Camera Theater Critic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DENVER — For those of us old enough to remember Julie Andrews' stellar performance in Rodgers and Hammerstein's made-for-TV "Cinderella" back in 1957, the tender TV remake with winsome Lesley Ann Warren in the title role in the '60s, or even those who suffered through the most recent "hip-hop" version with Whitney Houston and Brandy, the national tour production of "Cinderella" at the Buell Theatre is going to be a disappointment. Director Gabriel Barre gets most of the blame for his bizarrely incongruous concept and utter failure to unite the cast, though Andrew Lippa deserves a special raspberry for tampering with Rodgers' musical arrangements in a misguided effort to "update" them. Apparently everyone concerned, including scenic designer James Youmans and costume designer Pamela Scofield, decided that they had to distance the story as far from its 18th century European roots as possible, but without locating it anywhere or anytime else. The show seems to have been transported from some hallucinogenic parallel universe somewhere in the general vicinity of Dr. Seuss' Whoville. The cast is a mess, with no continuity between their performances. Legendary entertainer Eartha Kitt, who gets top billing for a supporting role, makes it very clear that she is playing the persona of Eartha Kitt who just happens to be cast as the Fairy Godmother so that we might bask in her legendary presence. Though she might be more appropriately called a Fairy Grandmother, Kitt seems bent on showing the audience that she can still touch the floor and windmill her arms around. At no time does she allow the character or story to interfere with the audience's appreciation that we are actually seeing the legendary Eartha Kitt. Paolo Montalban, who also played Prince Chris in the most recent television remake, has a nice, lyrical voice, and plays the part with sincerity and warmth. He seems to be trying to cling to the last vestiges of Rodgers and Hammerstein's original intent. It's too bad the rest of the show didn't follow his direction. Deborah Gibson gets a distant third billing in the program even though she has the title role. The '80s teen pop singer, who sold 16 million records despite a squeaky voice and a lisp, adds very little to the production. The show works best when Cinderella is perceived as having nobility of spirit and innate grace, but Gibson plays her as a working-class girl who lucks out and marries far above her station. Everett Quinton, playing the drag role of Stepmother is downright scary, while the two stepsisters (Natasha Yvette Williams and Alexandra Kolb) are more annoying than funny. A chorus of delightful puppet animals, in an obvious nod to the Disney version, frequently steals the show. Ken Roberson's choreography is quirky but fun to watch. Barre inserts "jive talking" slang expressions and hip behaviors that only weaken the story's integrity. Hammerstein's book, which allows for the magic of true love to supersede supernatural interference at key points in the plot, barely makes it through, and Rodgers' lyrical melodies for songs like "In My Own Little Corner" and "Impossible" are ruined by inappropriate and distracting rhythms. Picture a grotesque pretender trying to shove her misshapen foot into a delicate glass slipper while a handsome prince looks on in dismay, and you have the perfect metaphor for this regrettable production. Contact Patrick Dorn at (303) 473-1369 or dornp@thedailycamera.com. August 3, 2001