Coleytown Company to Present 'Cinderella'

From Coleytown Company: The timeless story of Cinderella, a peasant girl living with an evil stepmother and stepsisters who wins the heart of a prince with the help of her fairy godmother, has been a favorite for generations. “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” presented by Coleytown Company, takes a fresh look at this beloved tale.

While the play is sure to dazzle with all of the story’s classic elements—a chariot that turns into a pumpkin, an elegant ball and, of course, glass slippers—there are new twists and turns along the way. This presentation of the 2103 Broadway musical – itself an update of the Rodgers & Hammerstein version first presented on television in 1957 – reimagines Cinderella as a strong, independent young woman who wants to make the world a better place.

Cinderella, who lives with her wicked stepmother Madame and her two stepsisters, Charlotte and Gabrielle, has only the animals in the woods, Crazy Marie and a young revolutionary, Jean-Michel, as friends. Meanwhile, in the Kingdom, Prince Topher is trying to find himself and to understand what type of king he should be. When his scheming advisor Sebastian arranges a ball to find the prince a bride, Cinderella and the prince meet, though soon the clock strikes midnight. What follows is a contemporary, funny and poignant take on finding love and one’s purpose in the world. With an incredible score, elaborate dance numbers and lots of heart, the musical is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

Benjamin Frimmer (Artistic Director of Coleytown Company) brings a modernday vision to the production. He says, “the Disney version is wonderful in it's own right but Cinderella spends a significant part of the show pining for the prince. In this version, Cinderella or Ella as she is now known is a much stronger character who is looking for the good in people and helps open the Prince's eyes to seeing what is wrong in the world and correcting those injustices.”

Mr. Frimmer also notes that the script for “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” is “witty, current, and politically charged. While our nation has gone through an emotionally charged election, it seemed a perfect fit for an educational theater program.”

In fact, the show, with its focus on kindness, intelligence and community is sure to be particularly appealing to a middle school audience. One of Mr. Frimmer’s former students, Gina Rattan, directed the “Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella” national tour and is delighted that Mr. Frimmer is bringing the show to life at Coleytown Middle School. She says “this show is crucial for middle school actors and audiences as it engages their imagination while expanding what they think of traditional fairy tales. The characters are vibrant, complicated, and have real wants and desires. The story has some new twists and turns while still delivering all the wonderful parts of the fairytale we’ve come to know and love. I am so glad [Mr. Frimmer] is producing such an important show for young people!”

Mr. Frimmer is overseeing a team that includes 83 students. Additionally, he has put together a high caliber production team, many of whom have Broadway credits. He states, “At Coleytown we continue our tradition of bringing in professionals to create an artistic environment for our students to learn within. One of the things that separates Coleytown Company from most middle and high school programs in the country is that we don't simply copy a YouTube video. All of our production elements are unique to our show. Our professional design team is made up of individuals who regularly work on Broadway.”

Returning to Coleytown Company for “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” are choreographer and Broadway veteran Michelle Berti, and set designer, Peter Barbieri. The production also features the work of two accomplished theater professionals who are new to Coleytown Company: Johanna Pan and Brett Boles. Ms. Pan is overseeing costume design for this production fresh off a run “Falsettos” at Lincoln Center. She has brought with her a staff of designers with a long list of Broadway credits, including for the first time a wig designer who is currently working on “Sunset Boulevard.” Mr. Boles, the production’s musical director, is a musical theatre composer and lyricist whose production of “Benjamin Button” received a reading by a cast of Broadway regulars last month at the York Theatre Company in Manhattan.

Originally presented on television in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, “Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella” was the most widely viewed program in the history of the medium. Its recreation in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren was no less successful in transporting a new generation to the miraculous kingdom of dreams-come-true, and so was a second remake in 1997, which starred Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother. As adapted for the stage, with great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity, the hearts of children and adults alike still soar when the slipper fits.

Performance Schedule:

• Thursday, March 30th at 7:00pm
• Friday, March 31st at 7:00pm
• Saturday, April 1st at 1:00pm and 7:00pm

Performance Location:

• Coleytown Middle School Auditorium
• 255 North Avenue, Westport, CT 06880

Tickets are available online at: showtix4u.com (search term "Coleytown") for $13.00 plus processing fee. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door 45 minutes prior to the show time for $15.00, subject to availability. For further information please contact: Sarah Keiser at (203) 341‐1666.

Photo: From left, Emily Desser, Violet Cooper and Lily Girling Photo credit: Moira Lynch