A Review
by RKB

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella,
which I guess can be a bit of a double-edged
sword. On the one hand you have a built-in audience
and instant name recognition; on
the other hand, you have expectations and opinions
on how it's "supposed" to be done.
First time director Broguen Whetstone tried her best to
navigate these difficult waters, and I'm happy to say
that in most cases she succeeded. As presented by the
Performance Company, Jay County Civic Theatre's
88th show, "Cinderella," was an entertaining and lively
version of the classic fairy tale as interpreted by
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Jay County veteran supporting player Trinity Whetstone was
cast in her first lead as Cinderella. She did a wonderful job in
her scenes with her Stepmother and Step-sisters, totally
personifying the put-upon, meek, and humble side of the character.
Her best scenes were her cowering "In My Own Little Corner,"
owning this song about the power of dreams. She was adorable
as she acted out various types of characters in all sorts of
adventures, such as a hunter on a safari who forgets her gun,
eventually returning to the relative security of her fireplace
corner.

In these scenes Trinity was surrounded by and, in most cases,
overwhelmed by, the three very talented actresses playing her family.
Brittney Kirtley as The Stepmother sauntered through all of her scenes.
She was never called upon to do anything particularly evil
(except ignore Chinderella) so we in the audience were able
to laugh at and with her, knowing she was destined to lose.
And this being Brittney, one of Jay County's best comediennes,
she provided many, many opportunites to laugh at her.
She was especially funny when she had to play opposite
Tim Morris as The Herald.

Jay Civic veteran Shanna Camacho and newcomer Kiera Zerrer
as the step-sisters Joy and Portia, respectively, stole every scene
they were in. The were fabulous as the French divas with nothing
going for them. Their comedic timing was brilliant, especially
during the hilarious "Step-sisters' Lament," where they bemoan
why average women like them are constantly overlooked by men like
The Prince. Their song was just the best part of their winning
combination; I could go on and on about how entertaining they were
but I will pick one more example to prove my case. During Saturday's
performance, there is a prop mistake at the beginning of Act One;
they are supposed to balance books on top of their heads but
they found that there were no books on stage. They gamely tried
to balance their shopping parcels instead, to hilarious effect!
Their one song with Cinderella, "A Lovely Night," turned a romantic
ballad into fine comedy. Kiera singing,
"Darling, I love you!" in affected baritone was especially funny.
I definitely hope to see more of her in future Jay Civic shows.

Likewise, Cindy Morris was excellent as Cinderella's (Fairy)
Godmother. In this version of the story, the character is a
real godmother who just happens to be a fairy. While it
took me a few moments to understand this (the costume
specifically threw me off), the rapport between Cindy and
Trinity was heartfelt from their initial meeting and was
sustained throughout their scenes together. And of course,
when Cindy laughs that all dreamers are "zanies and fools,"
you laugh along. You just know you're in good hands. The Fairy Godmother
listening to Cinderella whine that she wasn't going to
the Ball was fun, too, as everyone except Cinderella herself knew
what was coming, and we could see the Fairy Godmother's
refusal to help as just so much teasing. The song,
"Impossible/It's Possible," was another of the highlights of the show,
and it was all because of the give-and-take of
Cindy Morris and Trinity Whetstone.

Their scenes lead directly into the transformation scenes,
which were accomplished by a troupe of very talented
dancers dressed in white and blue. It's a shame that my
camera didn't get any good shots of these dancers because
they were very, very good. They introduce the objects
which are going to be transformed (such as the wheels and
the white mice) while dancing; moments after they leave the
stage a beautiful orange flat representing the carriage
is wheeled on by three men dressed to the hilt. It
was a wonderful scene staged wonderfully; it totally
deserved the ovation it received.

While all this was going on, Cinderella and The Fairy
Godmother changed from their frumpy work clothes into
their more well-known costumes. This transformation,
done entirely on stage but out of sight, worked well.
Trinity especially looked marvelous in her beautiful
white gown.

The Prince was performed by Sam Miller, another
Jay Civic veteran supporting player tackling his
first lead. Sam, too, did a great job as a prince
looking for love in all the wrong places. He was
at his best in his melancholy moments.
His scenes with his parents The King
and Queen (Tyler Wolford and Julie McGraw
giving excellent supporting work) were great. Julie especially
seemed to act and sing "older," giving the scenes between her and Sam
more of an emotional undertone.

The initial scenes at the Ball that begin Act Two were
staged very well, and Cinderella's late entrance
worked especially nicely. As soon as The Prince
and Cinderella meet, however, I hoped they would both
be transformed into something more like
star-struck lovers. They did show some happiness;
it shined through in certain moments, but overall
they didn't give me the Great Love At First Sight
moment I was hoping for. Sam in particular did
an admirable job with his song, "Ten Minutes Ago
I Met You," where he is trying to put into words
what he is feeling. I got the distinct impression
The Prince was wrestling with his Love as well as
with showing his emotions, and this worked.
I don't know if it was director Broguen's design
or the actors' intent to down-play this scene,
but I felt like I wanted more: more
joy, more excitement, more wonder. When they
talk about feelings they have for each other---
feelings that they've never felt before---
I think the conversation stays too technical and
artificial. I would have prefered it if they had
played the scene more...well, playfully, instead of
asking, "Why do I feel this way?" like it was
a debate question.

Luckily, Cinderella rushes off and leaves The
Prince to mope around again; she becomes fanciful
and he becomes depresssed, which is what both
Trinity and Sam played well.
They are both very good at showing us their
individual anxiety and frustration. When Trinity sings,
"A Lovely Night" as a ballad and then begins to realize
that it's really a lament, it works.

What really doesn't work for me is the final scene
where The Prince realizes who Cinderella is. I know
there has to be a bit of suspension of belief, ala
nobody recognizing Superman with glasses,
and I understand that, but in my opinion
the way the denouement is staged is
not the right way to go. The Prince comes across
as an idiot with a foot fetish because he only
shouts, "It IS you!" after he tries the slipper
on Cinderella's foot!
I would have run it so that The Prince
appears to know that this odd, filthy
peasant girl is his beautiful debutante, but he
is confused as to why she doesn't admit it.
Instead, Sam and Trinity stumble through the
scene, with neither of them really giving it
any sense of reality or passion. I know it's weird
to use the word "reality" in a fantasy like this,
but if you don't get the feeling the leads believe
what they're doing, how can you expect to believe?
Luckily, this is the Happily Ever After. The next thing
we know the whole cast is singing, "Do I Love You
Because You Are Beautiful," leading into the curtain calls.

I want to comment on the choreography and music.
The dances, especially Cinderella's solo to "In
My Own Little Corner," and the family's
frolicking "A Lovely Night," were great.
Also, the Austrian Waltz and the aforementioned
Transformation Ballet were excellent. First time
Choreographer Allison Barnes did a terrific
job and I hope we get to see her work again.

The music, too, handled by first-time Musical
Director Madeline Helser, was good.
You can't go wrong with a score by Richard
Rodgers, and the band (led by Accompanist
Supreme Margaret Hammond and Cellist Extraordinaire
Ken Smith) supported the show beautifully.
The one comment I have about the singing
is that it was difficult to catch all the
words in "The Prince Is Giving A Ball,"
but that was probably because it is the
very first thing we get, and the cast
members were probably nervous. Also, I
wonder if Madeline worked on duets
more than on soloists, because the duets, such as between
Cinderella and The Prince or Joy and Portia,
were some of the most beautiful songs
of the show.

As for the sets, Cinderella's house was excellent.
(Do I detect the hand of Scenic Designer Cain Bilbrey?)
And while I would have preferred a more lavish or
elaborate Ball Room, my history is in sets and
on stage crew, so maybe I'm partial.
What we got was fine; the Throne Room was sufficiently
"royal" and The Garden was atmospheric.
I need to shout out to the "book end" banners
on both sides of the stage. One read
"Once Upon A Time" and the other read,
"Happily Ever After." They were a nice touch and
added to the "fairy tale" feel of the story.
When asked, I was told they were designed
by Cain , built by Set King Tim Morris,
and painted by Broguen and Andre Whetstone.
So good work, everyone!
(They are evidently called "False Prosceniums," but
I am not going to call them that. I'll just call
them nice.)

And finally, costumes and make-up were
beautifully done, as always.

Overall "Cinderella" was an entertaining
evening of live theatre. The sparkle in those
young girls' eyes after the show when they got
to meet The Prince in the lobby makes all the hard
work worthwhile.
Well done, troupe.

Cinderella

Cast Photos (1)

Cast Photos (2)