by Lorie Lewis Ham
The musical version of Cinderella opened at the Enchanted Playhouse in Visalia on February the fourth and goes until the 19th. Director Don Williams stated that they decided to go with the musical version at the recommendation of founding director Susan Sluka-Kelly, who performed this version with her new company in Rancho Cucamonga a year and a half ago and it was well received.
Prince (Zachary Newcott) & Cinderella (Elaine Draper)
Another reason for the choice of Cinderella this season is that each year Enchanted tries to produce a show geared toward the young female audience, stated Don. “It had been a while since the last time we produced Cinderella, and it is always well received, so we selected it for the current season.”
This version of the show has six original songs that offer each member of the cast the opportunity to sing. Enchanted’s sound technician Sean McMichael revamped the piano recordings by local musician Adam Long to give each song a unique sound to fit the character and scene. “The final product gives the production a definite Broadway feel,” continued Don. “Several of the songs have very catchy melodies that tend to remain with you after you have heard them.”
Tiffani Huckaby as Stepsister Marie, Randi Saul-Olson as the Stepmother Anna, Sara Johnson as Stepsister Jean
Another unique thing about this version is that there is an additional character by the name of Harold. Harold is none other than the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland who has had the misfortune to literally stumble into Cinderella’s story. The Fairy Godmother takes advantage of the situation by using Harold to get the Prince and Cinderella together. Harold is played by 13 year old Jacob Budz, and Cinderella by 14 year old Elaine Draper. Additional cast members are Alison Wahlen as the Fairy Godmother, Zachary Newcott as the Prince, Randi Saul-Olson as the stepmother, and Tiffani Huckaby and Sara Johnson as the stepsisters.
Harold the Rabbit (Jacob Budz)
“Anyone age four and up is sure to enjoy the show,” said Don. The remaining performances are February 18 and 19 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 each and can be ordered via phone at 739-4600.
Editor’s note: While I was not able to make it to Cinderella, I have not seen a performance yet at Enchanted that wasn’t wonderfully done. This is a great show to take the whole family to. Learn more about Enchanted Playhouse in the KRL profile of the company & keep up with their upcoming shows on their Local Theatre page and their website.
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