Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

(Reviewer’s note: In what follows I’m reporting one person’s opinions and recollections of this performance. Honestly, there was too much to see and take in to even begin to do justice to the thought and work that went into this masterpiece of a show.)

It was opening night for El Dorado Musical Theatre’s Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, and what I saw was a celebration as much as it was a performance. This was EDMT’s first live staging of a musical before a live audience in 20 months ─ since March 1, 2020. And throughout this wonderful show, I saw an exuberance in the performers that went beyond acting. In their acting, singing and dancing, there seemed to be an especially joyful spirit, an extra bit of energy to make up for the missed opportunities of the pandemic.

The venue for the Cinderella performances was the theatre at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills. It seats just 260, but I think that those of us in tonight’s sell-out audience appreciated the extra intimacy of that small space. To illustrate, the first row of seats was just a few feet from the edge of the stage and on the same level. And although the stage was much smaller than Stage One at Harris Center, it didn’t feel small (except perhaps to the performers). And a lot of effort had been put into decorating the stage, framing it with two ranks of a sort of proscenium arch that looked like tree trunks draped with vines.

When it was time for the show to begin, EDMT CEO Danielle Levy welcomed the audience with “Who is excited?” a rhetorical question if there ever was one, since the audience was full of performers’ parents, friends ─ and die-hard fans of EDMT like me.

(Click here to open the program in a new window. When you look at it, you’ll notice some names that I should explain. Cinderella is “Ella”: her stepmother gave her the name “Cinder-Ella” because of the time she spends by the fire. And the prince is “Topher,” short for Christopher.)

When the overture began, it felt to me like genuine Rodgers & Hammerstein music ─ bright and melodic. Still, I have to say that it was unfamiliar, though at least one song has survived in the popular culture (“Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”). Familiar or not, there was a lot of good music in this show ─ and it was all beautifully sung and staged. The performing began with an off-stage chorus that seemed to fill the room with their sound. Then there was action from the start: a clash between a troupe of soldiers and a giant (on stilts). And of course, the prince was the one who killed the giant.

This beginning surely captured the attention of the many children in the audience, and this was an excellent show for them. The children in my line of sight seemed completely engaged with what they were seeing and hearing. And why shouldn’t they be? There were long stretches when the movement on the stage was continuous (even when set pieces were changed in the dark, while the action proceeded at a different part of the stage). And there was a lot of impressive stagecraft ─ about which more later.

Much as the children must have enjoyed this show, I’ll argue that we adults enjoyed it more. For a start, the dialog was wonderfully clever, and I found myself laughing at one funny line after another. I’m sure that the script contained most of the jokes, but I bet it got plenty of tweaks from Director Debbie Wilson ─ as well as others, no doubt. That was especially true of sight gags, like the one where the prince slew a distant dragon with a sling shot.

Incidentally, this was not the traditional Cinderella story in children’s books or that you may have seen in the animated 1950 Disney movie. Of the stepsisters, one was wicked, but one was nice. Then after the ball, the prince and Cinderella reconnected in a lavish banquet ─ with her true identity still unknown. And there was an undercurrent of political commentary with new character, Jean Michel, as a young firebrand advocating for the rights of the disposessed people of the kingdom.

Besides the witty dialog, I think we adults also appreciated the extraordinary attention to detail that we saw in the set pieces and props. In the beginning scene, the prince sat on a horse that must have required an extraordinary effort to build. The same could be said of the delicate, but life-size golden carriage outlined with lights. Then there was the fireplace that was extended as we watched so as to allow the Fairy Godmother to emerge from it.

The costumes were as important as the props and set pieces in drawing the audience into the story that was unfolding in front of us. In general, the costumes represented medieval peasantry, but some were truly elegant, such as the ball gowns or the outfits of the courtiers and soldiers. Then there were the outrageous dresses of Cinderella’s stepmother (Madame) and her hoop-skirted stepsisters. But to my mind, the height of the costumer’s art came in the masterpiece that designer Karen McConnell and her assistants created for Crazy Marie. She was covered in what looked like strips of gold foil with a bonnet that completely obscured her face. Then came a reveal when, right in front of us, her dress turns inside-out and she becomes the Fairy Godmother. It was a bit of stage magic that impressed each of us, young and old.

Cinderella’s transformation was equally stunning as she twirled to reveal a white ball gown under her ragged outfit. All this was accompanied by lighting effects and a bit of stage fog that fascinated the little boy in front of me ─ and I dare say the other young children in the audience. Then when Cinderella was back at her stepmother’s house, we knew that her ball gown would have to be transformed into her “rags.” But, as if teasing the audience, Cinderella managed the transformation while crouched down right in front of us. Impressive!

I’m always torn in commenting about EDMT shows because, to accommodate an extraordinary number of talented young people, they have two casts. I saw the Carriage Cast whose great performances were, I’m sure, matched by the Slipper Cast. Heading the Carriage Cast was EDMT veteran Zach Wilson as Topher, the prince. Zach is such a versatile performer, and he made an elegant prince. But what especially impressed me tonight was his singing ─ it carried every scene in which he sang. Actually, I heard a lot of good individual singing tonight, but those who really stood out to me were Maddie Jantzen as Crazy Marie/Fairy Godmother, Ty Rhoades as firebrand Jean Michel, and Mikey Jantzen as Lord Pinkleton. (Looks like singing ability runs in the family.)

Katelyn Minnie was a winsome Cinderella and played her part to perfection. The little girls in the audience will carry her performance in their heads for a long time. And she’ll be the boys’ dream girl (and not just the littlest boys).

I’ve seen Joey Baciocco perform in many roles, but in none was he more fun to watch (and hear) than tonight when he played Sebastian the Prime Minister. His diction and delivery were practically Shakespearean. Ashley Slavin, as the stepmother, Madame, was completely obnoxious ─ loud and evil. Perfect!  Mackenzie Haar, the good-hearted stepsister, managed the difficult task of going along with her mother and sister, while carrying a torch for Jean Michel and sympathy for Cinderella.

A lot of the best comedy came from Alayna Fredianelli as Charlotte, the evil stepsister. Her frequent quips, and mildly annoying nasal speaking and singing voice, together with her outrageous appearance, made her, along with Madame, a perfect foil to Cinderella. It was just plain fun to see Fredianelli mine the details of her part.

UPDATE:  After writing this review, I was able to see the Slipper Cast, and as I expected, those who played the lead roles were as impressive as those I first saw in the Carriage Cast.  Emily Hobbs played Cinderella, and I remember thinking that her voice seemed cultured.  Whether she’s had extensive voice training or not, it sounded like that to me.  Also, I think of Emily first as an excellent dancer, and in all her movements tonight, I saw the grace of an experienced dancer.

Brayden Bambino was Topher in the Slipper cast, and he brought a powerful, pleasing voice to the part.  As had Zach in the other cast, Brayden turned in a solid acting performance, conveying believablity in both his anger and his passion for Cinderella.  I felt that, too, about Hailey Miller, in her feelings for Jean Michel and her friendship with CInderella.

The Fairy Godmother is the one who brings magic to the story, and accordingly there was a certain charisma in Hannah Steele's performance, along with the strong voice that the part requires ─ like that I had seen in Maddie Jantzen earlier.  It seems to me that Jean Michel is a difficult role to play ─ idealistic and single-minded, when the others usually have something else on their minds.  Carson Beards brought it off ─ and with good singing, as I had heard from Ty Rhoades before.  And I don't want to overlook Cameron Renstrom, who played Lord Pinkleton with a twinkle in his eye, plus a big voice in a small package.

I had thought Alayna Fredianelli, Charlotte in the Carriage Cast, was one of a kind.  Taking nothing away from her, I was delighted to see Ariella Sanchez pop the quips and bring the attitude, along with the same whiny voice I'd heard before from Fredianelli.  Both of them made the "Stepsister’s Lament" one of the funniest parts of the show. (“Why would a fella want a girl like her, a girl who's merely lovely?”)

(Click here to open a new page of promo pictures of those in these lead parts.)

The good acting (and singing) didn’t stop with the principals. The townspeople (and other groups) were amazing, and it felt like each one was giving their all to the production. Some of them were principals in the Slipper cast, but the majority weren’t named characters. There were so many times when I almost felt overwhelmed by their energy. That was especially true in the big numbers like “The Prince Is Giving a Ball” or the “Stepsister’s Lament.” And I felt that energy most in their dancing.

Most often what I saw in the choreography was not an integrated dance number where most of the performers were executing coordinated moves. Instead, the choreography consisted of many elements ─ small groups performing together, one after another, sometimes with surprising acrobatic moves. You watch all the movement to the rhythm of the music, and it’s just dazzling. The result is that there were many flashes of dancing excellence, and not just in the big numbers, but throughout the show. It was a visual kaleidoscope, capturing the rapt attention of both children and adults. The abundance of thought and attention to detail in choreography made for one beautiful scene melting into another. What I saw was another degree of blossoming of the talent of Anjie Rose Wilson as a professional-level choreographer.

Let me say more about attention to detail. Often one doesn’t notice, but it’s so rewarding to take note of subtle gestures or words that raise a production from commonplace and perfunctory to artistry. There was one tiny one that I noticed and that took just a few seconds but which I found elegant. The waltz was about to begin, and the partner of one of the many boy dancers at stage right hurried offstage. In came the new partner to face the boy. All in time to the music, she took a slight step toward him. Then he took a slight step toward her. Pause, then they began the waltz. Those preliminary steps weren’t necessary, but they made the moment so much more artistic.

The ball scene is also notable for the many lifts of the young women that were part of the choreography. It added another dimension of elegance, especially the prince’s lifting of Cinderella. And I bet it was preceded by many weeks of weight training and instruction on technique.

EDMT involves a lot of dance training, and I believe I saw the result in a strong group of young male dancers. I also have to give a shout-out to the excellent dancing of Amaya Pangilinan and Adam Kosciuk, who start out as a fox and a raccoon before their magical transformations into the coachman and footman for the golden carriage.

What I and the other audience members saw last night was a charming, funny, surprising, endearing presentation of a story that, at least for the most part, was familiar to each of us since childhood. Beyond that, it was a feast of sights and sounds. And for director, choreographer, costumer ─ and all those people on page 7 of the program ─ as well, and especially, for those in the cast, this wasn’t just a return to the stage: it was a triumphant return.

(This show ran December 3 to 12, 2021.  For more information the El Dorado Musical Theatre, visit www.edmt.info.)