Cinderella at The Children's Theatre Company on 11/13/09

By: John Olive

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Pearl (Dean Holt) and Dorcas (Reed Sigmund) in Cinderella - Photo by Ann Marsden

"I admire actors," a friend once told me, "who walk right up to the line of bad taste, and then slip one toe over it." In Peter Brosius's over-the-top-and-then-some production of Cinderella (at the Children's Theatre Company main stage, through Jan 2, childrenstheatre.org), the actors doing the goony stepmother and her shriekingly insane daughters Dorcas and Pearl do more than slip a toe over the line. They leap, howling and gibbering and somersaulting, into the land of out-there theatricality, screaming jokes, performing amazing Harold Lloyd/Fatty Arbuckle pratfalls, preening and primping, combing their astonishingly ugly wigs, abusing poor Cinderella almost as an afterthought. Repeatedly they march downstage to engage the audience directly, sing some thrillingly awful songs and generally misbehave. I'm going to quash the temptation to recount the specifics of these bits to you; suffice it to say they are marvelous. Autumn Ness (Stepmother), Dean Holt (Pearl) and Reed Sigmund (Dorcas) are having a grand time. They come dangerously close to hijacking the whole play. 

 

But they don't quite, and this is due to Brosius's good sense and to the understated loveliness of Maeve Moyhihan's Cinderella. Just as we're tiring of the antics of stepmom and her daughters, Brosius takes us back to the familiar story (ably adapted by John B. Davidson) – to the Fairy Godmother, the magic carriage, the handsome Prince Eric, the glass slipper, etc. Here the play takes on a quiet intensity, amplified nicely by Eric J. Van Wyk's sweet mouse puppets, and by Samantha Perry's Godmother and Erik Pearson's Prince. The 18th century dancers at the Prince's ball, with their starched costumes and their powdered wigs, are wonderful. In particular, the scene in which Cinderella is given her carriage, complete with steeds and attendants, the only exterior scene, with softly falling snow and chilly moonlight, is gorgeous. Dorcas, Pearl and their mother are great fun, but this is the scene that stayed with me. 

Indeed, visually this is the best thing playing in the city. The grand staircase, the way Cinderella's ball dress flies in, the blaringly loud costumes of the daughters, the whole play is a grand feast for the eyes. Sets and costumes are by Eduardo Sicangco, lighting by Paul Whitaker. 

Victor Zupanc is in the pit, conducting the ensemble and providing great underscoring throughout. This guy is seriously good. The production boasts some lovely between-scenes Christmas carols, done by the Ensemble. A little hokey, maybe, but they do lend the evening some holiday oomph. Indeed, this is the holiday show to spend your money on: the acting is first rate, the design astonishes and the story is timeless. 

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Location Info: The Children's Theatre Company
Artist Info: The Children's Theatre Company

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