Your majesties! Your majesties! A list of the royal necessities! At the top of that list there simply must be a— ticket or two to see Cinderella! (Youth Edition) at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland! The iconic Rogers & Hammerstein classic is proving that impossible things are happening every day with a score of talented young performers parading all across the stage in their ballroom finest trying to catch the eye of his royal highness Prince Christopher Rupert Windemere Vladimir Karl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman— Herman!? HERMAN… Gregory James. With such fol-de-rol and fiddle dee, everyone will delight in their chance to go to the ball! Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans Crowley and Choreography by Rachel Miller, this is one ticket you should definitely get your hands on before it poofs away into a pumpkin at midnight.
Scenic Artist Laura Miller and her merry-art-making assistants Donna Flaharty, Linda May, and Rachel Miller, paint beautiful village houses that are angle-flanked on either side of the stage to create the illusion that the enchanted fairytale town where Cinderella takes place comes spilling out of the moving screen projections (SLShowTech Projections.) Set Designer Diane M. Smith creates an elevated platform flush against said screen to serve as a plinth for the Herald or a dais for the royal thrones depending on the scenes. You get lovely lighting by way of Smith as well and the whole team comes together to fabricate into fruition the fantastical carriage that Cinderella takes to the ball (inspired by Kitty Lipski on TikTok.) It’s the stuff dreams are made of— more impossible and impressive feats, as Fairy Godmother might say!
Of course what would Cinderella be without her beautiful, magical ballgown and glass slippers that her Fairy Godmother magics into existence for the ball? This show has a quintet of Fairy Godmothers in the costume department, spearheaded by Robyn Alvarez. With four fairy assistants— Trisha Anderson, Theresa Foggo, Kelly Hamburg, Megan Sigal— Alvarez and the team have each of the lovely young ladies attending the ball looking their best in sparkles and gorgeous dresses fit for any future princess. We even get a few “so outrageous they could only be worn by the Step-Family” frippery, which Alvarez and crew outfits carefully to each of the three unruly characters.
There’s lots of fleet-footed dancing, almost jig-like with mini leaps all through the bigger movement-based numbers, by way of Choreographer Rachel Miller. And the twirling all around the ballroom scene is wondrous. Musical Director Charlotte Evans Crowley brings boisterous sounds to numbers like “The Prince Is Giving A Ball” and encourages beautiful blended harmonies during “When You’re Driving Through the Moonlight.” Special nod of praise to live percussionist Lisa Wood who keeps the young performers in line with the music, giving them a sense of tempo to understand and follow with each progressive musical number. Director Liz Boyer Hunnicutt has done a fine job of picking the perfect performers for each of their roles as well— finding surprising voices of all sorts which result in a wonderful and joyous performance overall.
Our ensemble— Jayde Wild, Katreese “Clover” Wellons, Gracie Roberts, Natalie Kelly, Rylan Hamburg, Angelina Ferris, Aria Correlli, Amelia Campbell, Kaitlyn Bell, Lily Anderson, Daniela Alvarez— are sprightly and spirited as they mill about in the opening number, “The Prince Is Giving a Ball” and they add a great amount of gusto to the movement of “Gavotte.” Katreese “Clover” Wellons, Gracie Roberts, Rylan Hamburg, Emily Foggo, Angelina Ferris, Lily Anderson, and Daniela Alvarez can also be heard lending their voices as the supporting sound during “Stepsister’s Lament” as they accompany Portia and Joy in this hilarious little ditty.
Noah Anderson, Pablo Castro, Selena Mason, and Wren Smith, as the head chef, the butcher, the dessert chef, and the cheese steward respectively, can be seen and heard adding quirky moves and lines to “Your Majesties” (which in the youth edition is truncated to about a verse and a half) and they are as delightful as the lists of things being included in preparation for the Prince’s ball! Some of the ensemble may get to be singing maidens, others dancing chefs, and others still are perhaps the most magical component of the Cinderella story: the darling little porch mice who get transformed into horses to transport Cinderella to the ball! Caroline Anderson, Lucas Castro, Emily Foggo, and Riley Sigal comprise the quartet of equine enchanters (who don white horse-head masks to show their transformation from meager mice to magnificent stallions.) Keep your eyes on them during “Transformation” for some fun and amusing moments of joy.
With a stupendously bellowing voice perfectly suited for all of the decrying befitting of a Herald, Colton Roberts packs quite the punch in the role. You can hear him lend his voice to the opening number and enjoy his antics chasing all around the village with the infamous glass slipper once the chase to find the mystery girl has begun. Of course this whole ball business gets underway because the Queen (Molly Foggo) and the King (Johanna Stevens), but mostly the Queen, insist that Prince Christopher be married by his 21st birthday! Foggo has a sweet smile and a warm voice. Stevens, as the King delivers a hilarious falsetto mockery of the girls tittering about the village getting overly excited about the ball, before expressing the King’s real feelings on the matter. Both Foggo and Stevens are well suited for their respective roles.
It wouldn’t be Cinderella without the wicked, nasty, and rather unfortunate Step-Family that proves to be a constant curse to the poor kitchen wench. Portia (Amelia Auvil) and Joy (Chiara Monterroso) are the two diabolically hilarious Step-Sisters with the unruly and beastly Step Mother being played by Linda Tamia Brown. All three of these young ladies have a firm handle on how to be bossy, nasty, and downright villainous, particularly Brown when it comes to the way she struts about the stage barking out orders. Auvil and Monterroso get a chance to showcase their vocal talents during “Stepsisters’ Lament” as well as “A Lovely Night” and “When You’re Driving Through the Moonlight” but both should be praised and commended on their keen improvisation skills. A good actor knows how to recover any number of hiccups that go awry in a live stage production; Auvil and Monterroso are great actors as they not only covered an otherwise unnoticeable hiccup but did so in character in a way that made the scene feel as if it had always belonged in the show. Monterroso in particular has such wild facial expressions— “Resting Fuss Face” might be a good phrase for it— just watch her when she tries to dance with the Prince at the ball; it’s hilarious.
The aforementioned Prince, played by Bailey Gomes, doesn’t get a lot of stage time in the youth-edition of the show, but whenever Gomes is on stage, you get the sense that he’s wise beyond his years, sensible, and simply trying to live up to the expectations set upon his character by the King and Queen. Watching his interactions with all the village ladies during the ball scene is one of the most laugh-worthy moments in the show because he delivers each haphazard moment with such polite sincerity you can’t help but giggle; it’s such a brilliant choice. Strong of voice, smooth of dancing feet, and overall the perfect fit— like Cinderella’s shoe— Bailey Gomes is truly a Prince of princes in the role of Christopher.
Cinderella is filled with magic, most of which comes flitting along compliments of the Fairy Godmother (Sophia Koman.) There is just something genuinely joyful about the way Koman approaches the role— almost like she’s channeling her inner Kristen Chenowith but with a sweet serenity that is sincere rather than the over-the-top-ness that often accompanies a nod to Ms. Chenowith. Her voice is as sweet as cotton candy but as hearty and fulfilling as three ice cream sundaes. When Koman alights on “Fol-de-rol” and “Impossible” you feel the magic bubbling up inside of you and you just want to float along through the number with her. She’s a remarkable performer!
As the title character, Lillian Colon is textbook Rogers & Hammerstein. Sweet, innocent, well-tuned voice that drifts dreamily along through “In My Own Little Corner” and she holds her own quietly against the unruly taunting and torment of her Stepsisters and Stepmother. The elation which beams from her eyes and her smile during “Transformation” and “It’s Possible” set the whole audience aglow and you find yourself cheering when she arrives in the iconic gown fit for a princess. The dreamy quality of Colon’s singing sweeps serenely through “A Lovely Night” and when she speaks with the Prince it’s the wish that your heart makes, proving dreams really do come true.
All eligible— well everyone, not just maidens!— should attend this production of Cinderella (youth edition) before the last midnight strikes and the set turns back into a pumpkin, the actors turn back into school kids, and the show disappears into the magical ether that is live theatre.
Running Time: Approximately 95 minutes with one intermission
Cinderella (Youth Edition) plays through March 19, 2023 with Children’s Playhouse of Maryland in the Lecture Hall of the Administration Building at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2426 or purchase them online.
