Article from Rocky Mountain News Thanks to Lisa for this information! http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/on_stage/article/0,1299,DRM N_53_788211,00.html 'Cinderella' wastes promise of magic By Lisa Bornstein, News Staff Writer There's magic at the Buell Auditorium this month, in the form of dozens of little girls in their best ball gowns and tiaras, girded for the touring production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which opened Tuesday. Unfortunately, the show squanders much of that magic in a rendition that is tone deaf in most ways but musical. A glance at the credits gives a quick explanation. Cinderella was written as a 1957 teleplay starring Julie Andrews. The current tour was adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs, best known for co-authoring the thoroughly lackluster 1990s adaptation of State Fair. Like that show, Cinderella is quick to discard much of the original's simple charms in favor of gimmicks and quips that fall flat on their faces. Animal puppets are employed almost entirely during musical numbers, as if Rodgers and Hammerstein songs were too dull to stand on their own. Someone's idea of contemporary idiom is inserted throughout the show, contributing phrases such as as if, word up and been there, done that. The effect is that of a 50-year-old trying to get down with the hip kids. It's about as embarrassing as seeing your mom rap along with Eminem. As the beleaguered Cinderella, former teen star Deborah Gibson displays a pleasant voice and countenance, but she hasn't yet mastered the skill of acting. She spends most of the evening with a sweet, generically hopeful upturned face, but doesn't display the emotion of, say, Disney's animated version. Somewhere in the midst of this, notes of joy erupt. Scenic designer James Youmans has turned out a fairy tale version by way of Tim Burton, all askew angles and playfully warped geography. Ken Roberson delivers attractive choreography, particularly during the opening number, a game of catch with turkeys and pineapples. As the Prince, Paolo Montalban is handsome and pop-voiced. The stepsisters (Alexandra Kolb and Natasha Yvette Williams) start out too juvenile, but soon develop distinctive characters. Eartha Kitt makes a strange and wondrous, if somewhat stern, creature of the fairy godmother. In a multicultural cast, male actor Everett Quinton has been cast as the evil stepmother. The cross-gender is neither ignored nor amplified, and Quinton's performance is more threatening than humorous. It's just another facet in a production that hasn't decided whether to be funny or stern, adult or juvenile, classic or contemporary. Fortunately, with platinum songs like In My Own Little Corner and Impossible, Cinderella won't easily be dented. And little girls will be thrilled just seeing their princess come to light, tiara and all. Contact Lisa Bornstein at (303) 892-5101 or bornsteinl@RockyMountainNews.com. August 1, 2001