There have been many versions of the classic fairy tale “Cinderella”, but Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein have also had many different versions of their musical. Starting off as a television special in 1957 starring Julie Andrews; then recreated in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren; then again in 1997 starring Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother; and finally hitting the Broadway stage in 2013 in a brand new production. Now there is also the Youth Edition.
Being a Youth Production means that the show is cut down to an hour, to the basic plot line of the story, and that the cast sing to the pre-recorded music instead of to a live orchestra. This still gives youngsters a chance to show off their singing, dancing and acting skills.
Director Cassie Laidlaw has given her production a nice introduction to the show during the Overture with the principal players opening a trunk and finding props that will spark their imagination. She has her cast filling the stage with delight. Molly Hutton’s choreography is magical and suits all proficiencies of the cast well. On that point, I have seen a few Trinity shows now and while the overall quality is good, I’m always amazed by the multitude of talented dancers that abound there. More on this later in the review.
Lisa Shetler’s ability to produce a lovely sound from the cast is admirable. The limited sets are easy to move and work well thanks in particular to the very efficient stage crew. The costumes by Janet Nance, Leah Nance, Dylan Malin and Cassie Laidlaw are appropriate, especially all of the Prince’s costumes; very regal looking and they fit perfectly! Probably because of the OH&S rules in place nowadays, the glass slippers have been replaced cleverly by shiny white patent leather shoes.
I mentioned the talented dancers that Trinity seem to produce and it is more than evident in this production. The Core Dancers Charlotte Badcock, Olivia Kambouris, Layla Pratt, Julianne Sison, Mackenzie Stewart and the Featured Dancers (Fairies) Ella Abo Assi, Harmony Pratt, Annabelle Skeen, Lexi Sparks and Matilda Varelias are all truly sensational, very tight in their dance moves and help keep the show flowing and entertaining.
With an ensemble of 47 youngsters it is nigh on impossible to name them all, so let’s just say that each and every one of them sparkles.
Madison McNamara as Cinderella’s Stepmother has the always unenviable task of making a youngster into a believable adult, but she carries it off well without going over the top with evilness. Her daughters (ugly in nature, not in looks) are played quite comically by Alice Page (Joy) and Indy Brown (Portia) without overdoing the screeching. Soham Yadav (King) delivers his comic lines well, while Isobel Figg plays the Queen with a very nice hautiness. Emily Fountain’s Fairy Godmother is wonderfully magical and charming. I’m not sure if the two wispy pieces of hair dangling down over each eye is a directorial decision to enhance the character, but this reviewer found them incredibly distracting and annoying. Nash Lapworth makes a great Herald being there to back the Prince in whatever way.
Noah Lewcock is the absolutely perfect Prince, from his shiny white shoes all the way up to his glittering gold crown. His actions and demeanor remind one of a young Prince William. This young man has just about everything the role requires; he’s good looking, a strong singer (just a shame he doesn’t have more songs to sing), a great mover and handles comedy, especially in his facials well. He just needs to relax a tad more and exude a touch more confidence when it comes to the dialogue.
As Cinderella, Poppy Saleeba, is utterly, utterly charming and delightful. She has a very beautiful voice and makes great choices when it comes to her acting. Her personality just takes over the stage whenever she appears. Her and Noah interact and blend well together.
There was just one elephant in the room on opening night – the microphones! They got better as the show went on but to begin with most Ensemble members (who had head mics) who had lines in songs could not be heard. The mics were either switched off or turned down extremely low. I’m sure that this will be remedied for the other shows.
The Trinity students have provided us with yet another ‘lovely night’ of entertainment.
