Thanks to Lisa for this article! Cinderella Review from the Indianapolis Star http://www.starnews.com/entertainment/articles/garm0110.html Scenery is star of 'Cinderella,' though acting, music shine, too By Marion Garmel Indianapolis Star January 10, 2001 It isn't the glories of Rodgers and Hammerstein's music, it's the lights and the colors and the costumes that make the touring version of Cinderella sparkle. Opening Tuesday night at Clowes Hall to run through Sunday on the Indianapolis Broadway Series, this is a little bit of heaven dropped down to earth. From the opening lines of Eartha Kitt as the Fairy Godmother -- "Once upon a time, in a land far away" -- as she stands in a circle of gold behind a grill-like fence, you know this is a fairy tale. The kingdom of the prince, whose parents want to marry him off, is as opulent and colorful as an Oriental mosaic. The tree at which Cinderella speaks to her long-dead mother shimmers with leaves of stained glass blue. Everything glitters like a box full of jewels. And that's just the scenery. This is a stage adaptation, by Tom Briggs, of the colorful version of Cinderella that starred Brandy and Whitney Houston on The Wonderful World of Disney. Even the prince is the same. Paolo Montalban uses his beautifully tender voice and gentle innocence to make this the most romantic prince in Cinderella history. And Debbie Gibson, despite a tendency to overdo the vibrato, is a beautiful waif of a Cinderella, her long black hair standing out against the white rags she is forced to wear. The magic starts as soon as Gibson and Montalban begin to sing the same song separately as they dream of what is to come in the opening sequence. The musical is full of romantic songs, including The Sweetest Sounds, In My Own Little Corner and Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? But the best is still Eartha Kitt singing Impossible, the song that people come out singing at intermission. Kitt, as the Fairy Godmother, has found a perfect role: As sturdy and rooted as a tree, she guides the dreamy girl, who might have been her daughter, into claiming her rightful place in the world. This is a multicolored cast, as bright and varied as the gem- like quality of the production as a whole. Every part is well played, from Victor Trent Cook as the suave steward, Lionel, to Everett Quinton as the wicked stepmother, Leslie Becker as the Queen and Ken Prymus as the roly-poly King, whose clothes no longer fit. As the comic stepdaughters, Natasha Yvette Williams is a Mack truck of a Grace and Alexandra Kolb lets out peals of squeaky laughter as Joy. Even the animals are inspired, copied no doubt from The Lion King, with puppeteers guiding four white mice, a cat and floating white bird as they lead Cinderella to her future. Contact Marion Garmel at (317) 444-6078 or via e-mail at marion.garmel@starnews.com Copyright 2001 Indiana Newspapers Inc.