Thanks to Dan for this article! A review from the Dispatch Theater Critic Review from Columbus Dispatch. And yes, Happy Easter! CREATURES, SOME CHEMISTRY HELP KEEP 'CINDERELLA' GOING Thursday, April 12, 2001 FEATURES - ACCENT & ARTS 07E By Michael Grossberg Dispatch Theater Critic If Cinderella, a minor musical, hadn't been written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Broadway Series audiences probably wouldn't be seeing it on a gussied-up national tour. Judging from the garish cartoon staging, weird casting and silly acting, the producers respect the names of the creators more than the modest material. First shown on television in 1957 with Julie Andrews and remade with Lesley Ann Warren in 1965, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was re-conceived as a 1997 TV vehicle for singers Brandy and Whitney Houston. In the latest production, which opened Tuesday in the Palace Theatre, director Gabriel Barre builds on the 1997 formula: big stars (even when they are cast against type), bold colors (even when the greens and pinks don't match) and street-smart slang (even when modern dialogue is jarringly out of place). The producers and director have halfheartedly updated the retro characterizations and dialogue, with mixed results; the show hasn't played Broadway and probably never will. This Cinderella wanders, barefoot, between the "country- bumpkin'' atmosphere of a timeless fairy tale and the ironic urbanity of a near spoof. Everett Quinton, an off-off-Broadway farceur known for his drag roles at the Ridiculous Theatre Company, plays the Stepmother with gruffness and an impish pettiness. Sassy Eartha Kitt, who could easily play the Stepmother, gives the Fairy Godmother a tough, modern attitude that seems at odds with the character and the ostensible era. "I'm your fairy godmother, darling,'' she tells Cinderella. "You have a problem with that?'' Her growly voice is so low that one almost expects her to leave the stage with an Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation: "I'll be back.'' The tangential role doesn't give Kitt many chances to return. She's such a Broadway pro, though, that she's missed. If not for the sweetness, good looks and romantic chemistry of Jamie-Lynn Sigler's Cinderella and Paolo Montalban's Prince, Cinderella might never find its footing. Montalban (who also played the Prince in the 1997 TV movie) and Sigler (Meadow on The Sopranos) sing Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? and The Sweetest Sounds so well that audiences won't care that the weak Rodgers and Hammerstein score doesn't have any great numbers. Caity, a 10- year-old friend, enjoyed the show more than I did. What really impressed Caity -- and a good portion of the Tuesday audience -- were the "cool animals.'' Cinderella borrows one of the best devices from The Lion King to lesser effect: animal puppets (four mice, a cat and a bird) manipulated for maximum cuteness by darkly dressed actors wielding sticks. NaTasha Yvette Williams' itching Grace, Alexandra Kolb's cackling Joy and Ken Prymus' rueful King go for easy laughs with similarly big shticks. The bottom line: What was once a magical, heartwarming musical of great simplicity and beauty has been reduced to a tongue-in-cheek vaudeville act. mgrossbe@dispatch.com All content herein is © 2001 The Columbus Dispatch and may not be republished without permission.