Spring musical “Cinderella” makes kindness ‘possible’
From rags to riches, most retellings of Cinderella detail the salvation of a damsel in distress by a righteous and charming prince. However, FUHS Theatre’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella presents a new meaning to “happily ever after.”
Based on the French version of the fairytale of the same name, Cinderella’s purpose is not to be a slave to the oppression she faces, but to inspire change by helping the prince overcome his innocence. Cinderella opens his eyes to the strife of the people, whilst falling in love with his virtue.
Senior Michael Laverde plays the role of Prince Topher (opp. Yale Yang).
“Topher doesn’t really have a lot of power over other people, and it’s a lot of people that are telling him what to do, which he goes with,” said Laverde. “[This show] really helps define how Cinderella helps the prince and how lost he is in the beginning. Every time [Topher] interacts with Cinderella, she influences him to become a better leader of his country.”
Onstage, Topher appears lost and apprehensive, fearing that the person he is may not be suitable to rule. But, as the show prolongs, Topher is able to take control and make his own decisions, instilling the change the people have always wanted to see.
Although Laverde feels that slipping into Prince Topher’s role is effortless, he still has a challenge of distinguishing between himself and his character.
“To get into character, it’s not super hard,” said Laverde. “But during the rehearsal process, because we are similar, I had to really define what makes us different.”
Likewise, junior Abigail Lange who plays the role of Cinderella (opp. Emma Kremer) finds that her character also mirrors some aspects of herself.
“[Cinderella] can be the real fairytale princess that she’s depicted as in the movie, but at the same time she also has this spunk to her that I really like to delve into,” said Lange. “I find pieces of my own personality within her spunk, especially when she is interacting with others on stage.”
Much more realistic in background than the popular Disney version of Cinderella, the aim of the show is not to focus on the characters patronizing one another, but to rather focus on how bullying can be overcome.
“There’s really no sense of evil in this version,” said Laverde. “[In this version] kindness is what is praised, so it’s a huge social commentary on how we treat each other.”
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella unites an entire community and breaks through the elitist barrier with its overarching theme of kindness.
“Cinderella encourages everyone to play a different kind of game,” Lange said. “I think [the audience] will take away the idea that being kind isn’t really that difficult, it just takes a little bit of your awareness.”
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella opens this Friday at 7 p.m. in Plummer Auditorium and will run Mar. 16-24 with alternating casts. Tickets will be sold for $8 in the activities office, $10 online at showtixforu.com and $12 at the door. Check out fullertonacts.com for more information.
