Post-Dispatch Theater Critic
Thanks to Lisa for this information!
Cinderella
By Judith Newmark
Post-Dispatch Theater Critic
03/14/2002
The Prince isn't the only charming thing about the production of
Rodgers' and Hammerstein's musical adaptation of "Cinderella"
that opened Wednesday at the Fox.
There's plenty of charm on the other side of the footlights, too.
The opening-night audience was, of course, full of children –
many of whom came dressed for a royal ball. Christmas dresses,
flower-girl dresses and a few dance-recital costumes filled the
Fox – one dashing little boy even sported a cutaway jacket. And
who knew so many St. Louis girls have their own tiaras?
Afterwards, an extremely ruly crowd waited patiently by the
stage door, where Eartha Kitt (the Fairy Godmother), Paolo
Montalban (reprising his TV role as the Prince, opposite Brandy,
for the stage) and members of the company agreeably autographed
programs.
This is not a common sight at the Fox, but the enthusiasm the
exceptionally young theater-goers brought to "Cinderella" was
matched by the vivacious production.
Montalban and Jessica Rush (Cinderella) make an appealing
couple. Their love-at-first-sight encounter at the palace ball
is executed gracefully, with a couple of sweet songs ("The
Cinderella Waltz" and "Ten Minutes Ago") to set a persuasive
mood.
They don't have to carry the whole story, slim as it is, by
themselves. Everett Quinton, NaTasha Yvette Williams and Sandra
Bargman hit cartoonish heights as Cinderella's awful family,
with Williams and Bargman standing out in a duet of
resentment, "Stepsisters' Lament," that features some of Oscar
Hammerstein's most unexpected rhymes ("flimsy kind of
charm"/ "break her little arm"). Ken Prymus and Leslie Becker
are big, cuddly standouts as the king and queen.
And of course, there's Kitt, playing the Fairy Godmother as
Morgan le Fey in sequins. It works fine – what could Kitt be
than would be more intriguing than Kitt, herself? Besides, when
she growls out "fol-de-rol" she can persuade you that her words
might be magic; they sure aren't ordinary English any more.
Director Gabriel Barre's "rainbow cast" takes the story out of
any particular place, with a big help from the overall design.
Costumer Pamela Scofield seems to be working in Franco-Slovak-
Istan; scenic designer James Youmans makes choices just as
eclectic. He and lighting designer Tim Hunter deliver an
imaginative version of the shoe-quest, placing it behind a
scrim. It turns the prince's potential brides into a shadowy
swarm, suggesting a much bigger cast than the show actually has.
"Cinderella" has a lot of the same appeal as the stage
production of "Beauty and the Beast." But it isn't a Disney show
(the producing company is called NETworks). Nevertheless, it
leans on Disney here and there; for example, the prince's
castle, off in the distance, resembles the one in the
movie "Sleeping Beauty," and the show begins with a village
scene reminiscent of the opening of "Beauty and the Beast."
Also, the puppet animals that befriend the heroine are
manipulated by visible puppeteers, like the ones in
Disney's "The Lion King." But most of Cinderella's pals are
mice. Even though they are lots bigger (and cuter) than actual
mice, they are still much too small to be effective on the Fox
stage; sometimes you can't even see them. This creates an
especially odd effect when Cinderella opens her heart ("In My
Own Little Corner") to a circle of men in odd dark hats. When
the mice change to white horses, they are the men themselves,
moving with an equine elegance that we understand instantly. The
men might have made just as good mice; they certainly would have
made bigger ones.
The show runs two hours, including intermission, a comfortable
length for most school-aged children.
"Cinderella"
Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard
When: 1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday; 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday
How much: $20-$45
Tickets: Fox box office; MetroTix outlets; 314-534-1111; www.
metrotix.com