I admit I expected this adaptation of the beloved fairy tale to be pretty straightforward. My daughter turned eight this year, and although she’s mostly aged out of her obsession with princesses, I thought dinner in Cameron Village and seeing Cinderella would be a great holiday tradition to start for the two of us. Tickets can be purchased online at or by phone at 91.For the past 31 years Raleigh Little Theatre has presented Cinderella to the delight of audiences of all ages. Tickets for season members are $27, all others start at $33. This musical will delight those of all ages, with never a dull moment over its two hours with no intermission.Ĭinderella is presented by the Raleigh Little Theatre at the Cantey V. The audience at the performance I attended included many children: little girls with tiaras and fairy wands, and boys wearing crowns or jester hats (available at the souvenir stand). Whether Cinderella is an old friend or a new discovery, it is a delightful way to usher in the holiday season. Todd Houseknecht's sound design augments moments both magical and comedic. The lighting design by Cailen Waddell adds amazing magical flourishes, from the Fairy Godmother waving her wand to cause a flow of magic dust to cross the proscenium, to the clock above the stage that marks the time. Thomas Mauney's scenic design is simplistic when needed but ornately detailed when the time is right. Cinderella's costume change from peasant girl to princess is astonishing, and I am still unsure how they pull it off. As if the hand puppet mice were not cute enough, wait until you see them turn into adorable ponies, thanks to Ms. The costumes by Vicki Olson are astonishingly beautiful, ranging from cartoon colors for the stepmother and her daughters to period perfection on the common folk of the kingdom. There is also the "Sneeze Polka" at the Ball, a bit of a one-joke song that might go on too long but does get the audience engaged. The directors have found pleasant opportunities for everyone to participate, sending the Prince out to try the slipper on audience members, their reactions caught on a Facebook Live feed for all to see. While the plot is familiar, the production is fresh.
The Prince, unsure if he will find true love in such a quick time, agrees to a Christmas Ball in his honor. Locklear with a southern drawl and a bad case of nearsightedness, is desperate to find a suitable wife for his bachelor son, a commanding Sai Graham. Meanwhile King Darling III, a delightful Timothy E. Dennis Poole, reminding this reviewer of Bert Lahr and Milton Berle. As we know, Cinderella's father, who had remarried a woman with two daughters, passes away, leaving Cinderella under the care of her new stepmother, a wickedly hilarious Alison Lawrence, and her two ugly step-sisters, Henrietta and Gertrude, played with gusto by Tim Cherry and M. Their toe-tapping introductory number of the Fairy Godmother, performed with superb comedic instincts by Tina Morris-Anderson, signals that this will not be your average Cinderella. In this telling we get the back story from two fairy helpers, the delightful Ruth Berry and Elizabeth Anderson. This is the Prince Street Players' version of the beloved fairy tale and, as usual, directors Rod and Nancy Rich do a fine job tweaking the story with contemporary humor, this year including references to Pokémon Go and the President elect.
The audience is greeted by the animated beauty of digital stars floating on a screen as familiar images from the storyslipper, castle and pumpkinzoom up. Sutton Theatre, and what a magical welcome it is. Raleigh Little Theatre welcomes you, wand and all, to their thirty-third annual production of Cinderella at the Cantey V. Also see Garrett's reviews of The Typographer's Dream and The May Queen
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