An entertaining new take on the
Cinderella story by the Vital Children’s Theatre is a fine offering for young
children. This new musical is known as Cinderella’s
Mice and retells the familiar tale from the rodents’ point of view. Spencer
and Mitzi are the mice with a personal ambition to raid the upcoming royal
ball, curtailed by their sudden transformation into horses. The mice were
played with sweetness and terrific energy by Marc de la Concha and Kara
Swartz. Spencer’s quest to get a bite out of the buffet at the ball is the
main thrust of the story, told side by side with a fractured version of the
traditional story. Andrea Biggs
played the Stepmother with relish. The Stepsisters (Bridget Harvey and Kyle
Minshew in an English Pantomime casting) were perhaps the most colorful
characters, stealing the show. Cinderella (Mary
McLellan) seems to be facing more roadblocks to her dance with the prince
than we are used to. These complexities might have been eschewed to keep the
focus on the mice, though their concern for helping Cinderella meet the Prince
rightly takes precedence over the selfish goal of making a meal of the buffet. Justin Stoney, as the Prince and other characters, distinguished himself with
good voice and a knack for snap changes in character. The authors gave him
plenty of silly business to wrestle with, which he did with enough energy and
commitment that the lunacy read as believable.
The songs, by Ben Morss, took on a
contemporary musical-theatre sound, mostly sprightly in spirit, with several
comic turns for the stepsisters as well as a chef (also played by Minshew).
Morss asked his Cinderella to sing in a register that at times lacked
projection, when the material might have been tailored to the actress’s
strengths. Overall, the singing performances were uneven, though quite
serviceable for ballooned storybook characters. The book, by Justin Warner, is novel and original, giving the adults a few laughs as well as
entertaining the children, though it tended to lose focus by diverting into
extended sequences of Looney Tune shenanigans.
Zhanna Gurvich’s set was a
simple idea of painted screens, able to roll and turn as needed to represent
the several places needed. Amy
Kitzhaber’s costumes included lovely ball gowns, popping with color, and a
simulated version of mice with little ears and vests. An attachment of a
horse’s behind with dangling back legs easily turned the mice into horses. The
Prince, for his only outfit, seemed to wear the one incomplete design, lacking
the polish of royalty.
Children should enjoy this different version of a familiar story. The pace was brisk, and there was plenty of action to keep everyone involved. The production, under David Hilder’s direction, might have put more care into the finishing details that make a fantasy story fantastic, but there was plenty of fun in this simple tale.
Writing: 1
Directing: 1
Acting: 1
Set: 1
Costumes: 1
Lighting/Sound: 1
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Copyright 2006 Michael D. Jackson