Liberty Showcase Theatre's 'Cinderella' Opens to Community Praise

The Liberty Showcase Theatre version of Cinderella, which premiered Friday, featured an all-ages cast with great chemistry, detailed set designs and costumes that made any leap of imagination that much easier.

Opening night for the production was at , where the community theater group performed the 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical version of Cinderella that originally aired on CBS and starred Julie Andrews.

That version had everything you likely remember from the classic musical. You can expect the Godmother to be magical but not “fairy" -- she certainly had her white mice and pumpkin stage coach, though. The step sisters are not exactly “evil,” but definitely a little self-absorbed.

The story line runs surprisingly fast, considering there are 20 musical numbers and a 15-minute intermission. The entire show lasts just under two hours, so you’ll have plenty of time to get home before any spells wear off.

The audience seemed to enjoy the play, and some said they thought that kind of performance was a great opportunity to make theater more accessible to the community.

Janelle and Bill Marks, of Finksburg, said they were there to support a friend, Lorelei Chapman, the dance captain for the production. Janelle Marks said they frequently attend shows put on by Liberty Showcase Theatre.

“I used to bring my kids when they were little,” Janelle Marks said. “It’s a cheap alternative to driving into Baltimore and it’s less formal.”

Her husband agreed, adding that in addition to the entertainment value, he thinks kids get other benefits, too.

“A lot of the productions are very kid friendly,” he said. “So, it’s a great way to expose them to the arts.”

Larry Dammons of Owings Mills brought his daughter Tamara to the musical Friday to watch this classic for the first time – in English, that is.

Dammons said his daughter knows the play well in Russian, which is her mother Yuliya Katsnelson-Dammons’ native language. He said his daughter seemed to be doing well with this version.

“We attend these types of plays and puppet shows to expose her to both cultures,” Dammons said. “We’ve heard the songs before, in Russian, but today we’re singing them together in English.”

Barbara Broczkowski, of Reisterstown, was in the audience to support her son Matt, a member of the ensemble cast. The mother of the Franklin High student said his first play was actually only a short time ago when Franklin high put on Hairspray last spring.

“I think they did a great job, they have been working really hard on this,” Broczkowski said. “After all the rehearsals, to see them come together out on stage is pretty fun.”

Rehearsals for the production began only two months ago and Broczkowski said the cast worked very hard to make sure this production was a success in that short amount of time.

“I was surprised and very pleased,” she said. “I think it’s so much fun when you get all age groups together like that, it’s exciting.”

Backstage after the show, a few of the actors talked about their impressions of opening night. Grace Canfield, of Owings Mills, played Portia, one of the “evil” stepsisters, and seemed upbeat about the performance.

“I think everyone came together and it worked really well,” Canfield said. “This was my first show with a community theater. I’ve done shows at my school before, so I’ve never been in a cast with people of such different ages. I liked working with the kids.”

Liberty Showcase Theatre with shows on July 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. All shows will be held at New Town High School and admission is $16 for adults and $13 for seniors and students.