‘Cinderella’ at The Fox: Bringing audiences a magical experience
This week I had the opportunity to attend Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” at the Fox Theatre, and it was such a magical night filled with light-hearted humor and a touching story. The show ran from Nov. 3 – Nov. 8.
The stage production is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, but with a comical twist. The story is witty and quite hilarious, but it’s also whimsical and hopeful. The songs were very clever and moved the story along nicely, and the cast is very talented. Kaitlyn Davidson and Andy Huntington-Jones played Cinderella and Prince Topher, respectively, and they had great onstage chemistry when they sang duets together, especially when their characters realize they’re falling in love. The two stepsisters, played by Kimberly Fauré and Aymee Garcia, were both talented singers, but they were also hilarious in the way that they delivered their lines.
The show also features some amazing acrobatics. The fox-footmen tumbled across the stage, the fairy godmother flew above the stage and the company glided from one side of the stage to the next as they ballroom danced. The choreography was wonderful and the way the cast twirled made me feel like I was a part of a grand ballroom with lords and ladies swirling around as they danced.
Another thing that blew me away was the costuming. I’m still trying to figure out how Cinderella managed her costume changes, because I was completely baffled during the entire show at the spectacular wardrobe magic. One second her dress was dark green, then it’s a white ball-gown, then it’s the green dress again and then her dress goes from rags to gold! I was mind-boggled in the best possible way. Cinderella’s dresses were beautiful and elegant, and I really enjoyed seeing the rest of the cast’s costumes too — especially the fairy godmother, who had a great huge purple dress.
Kara Robson, third-year animation major, attended the show and said that: “It was such a cool experience! I still want to know which parts were improvised and which parts weren’t! The costume changes were amazing. I’m still trying to figure out how they did that. I really liked the sister who got kicked out … her storyline was so interesting! … The additional stuff like that was pretty cool.”
“Cinderella” did a great job of breathing fresh life into the time-worn tale of “Cinderella” and putting a unique twist on it while staying true to the spirit of the story. The dialogue and songs were very humorous and witty, which kept the show light-hearted. “Cinderella” was a whimsical, magical night that is well worth experiencing, even if a fairy godmother has to transform a pumpkin into a carriage to get you there.
