Cinderella

I am so excited to be working with the talent of CYT to bring Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella to life!
This show is great for all ages and has roles for all levels! Whether you are looking for a lead or just wanting to wear a costume and stand in the stage lights, there are many characters’ shoes to fill.
Cinderella is a fairytale that is familiar to most. Ask almost anyone and they can likely name their top 3 versions of the tale, if not more. No matter which version is your most beloved, they are all filled with magic and wonder. This show is full of moments that will make our audience oo and ah, while also asking the question “how did they do that?”.
Many great actresses have portrayed the gentle and kind character for which the story is named; it was voiced by Ilene Woods in the Disney classic (1950) and Lily James brought Cinderella to life in the live action in (2015).  Anne Hathaway (2004), Hillary Duff (2004) Selena Gomez (2008), and most recently, Camila Cabello (2021) have participated in adaptations of the classic tale. Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderellas include, Julie Andrews (1957), Lesley Ann Warren (1965), and Brandy (1997), to name a few.
I don’t like to look at Fairytale Princesses as damsels in distress. To me, they are all strong women who persevere through difficult situations. Often we meet them in a rough chapter of life, but they are surviving and enduring the hand that has been dealt them, usually with a smile on their face and song in their heart. Throughout the Bible, God lays hardship at the feet of his strongest followers, those that keep the faith and remain steadfast. Though faced with a serpent of a stepmother, Cinderella remains a bright light in a house of darkeness.
We are led to believe that Cinderella had caring parents and a simple, yet charmed life before the loss of her mother. Her father loved her dearly and thought he was doing right by her in remarrying. He could never have foreseen the treatment this new “mother” would bring, or imagine leaving her an orphan in her home where she would be used as a servant instead of being loved and cared for.
In the Grimms version of the story, Cinderella is greeted by a dove each day while visiting her mother’s grave.  In the end, the dove pecks out the eyes of her stepmother and stepsisters on her wedding day. Doves are a representation of hope in the Bible. While not as aggressive as this little bird, our Fairy Godmother represents the dove in our story. For Cinderella, Fairy Godmother is a steadfast presence who lifts her up and encourages her.
Cinderella makes the most out of her situation, befriending nature and extending grace and kindness to the people she encounters, good and bad. She never loses hope, and the memory of her mother and father help her to remember that love and happiness do exist.
Princesses are often painted as being “rescued”. While it is true that Cinderella and the Prince fall in love on an expedited timeline, it doesn’t make their love any less real. Musicals are on a timeline after all. Cinderella is not a helpless woman. She is cunning, gentle, caring, and strong. Any man would be lucky to share a life with her, and the Prince seems just as enchanted by her as she is with him. We all daydream, imagine, and wish for things beyond our immediate reach. The story of Cinderella is the ultimate daydream come to fruition.