I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Edith Weiss’s Cinderella! Cinderella!, recently published by Pioneer Drama Service, at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center. Among a sea of little girls wearing sparkling princess gowns and tiaras, I felt underdressed and overly large. But I soon blended right in with the young crowd, giggling and even laughing out loud along with the children. The humor woven into Edith’s skillfully-written manuscript leapt to life from the first moment when the town crier, Master Harold the Herald, competes with the old lady hawking cabbage balls. At a time when the news is swarming with political drama, economic woes and other serious matters, this kind of quality children’s theatre is just the thing to encourage even big kids like me to forget toil and troubles of the world and just enjoy the purest form of light-hearted fun. The acting troupe (Kristianne Seaton, Jeremy Make, Doug Rosen, Robin Wallace, Meghan McMahon, Laurie Gabriel, Johnny Schroeder, Michelle Paul and Director Pam Clifton) filled the show with non-stop slapstick shenanigans—from Cinderella’s cat Tom’s tripping up the stuffy (and allergic!) ladies, to the stepsisters’ desperate and fake fainting spells, to the fairy godmother’s spells gone awry and the stepsisters’ much deserved pies in the face. The prince wasn’t the only one who had a ball, you could say. In addition to the action-packed fun, the play also explores the meaning of true friendship through Tom Cat and Cinderella’s loyalty and affection (adorably, Tom can’t help but cry whenever Cinderella does), the fairy godmother’s tough love (she refuses to use her magic when Cinderella must learn on her own), and the compassionate prince’s sincere connection with the kind yet plain Cinderella. The reversal in the play (gorgeous stepsisters and an ordinary Cinderella) highlights a new moral to the age-old story: it’s not how you look or what your wear that matter; it’s the joy in your heart and how you treat others—and yourself—that are key to finding true happiness. Bravo to the talented Edith Weiss, the keen Pam Clifton and the vibrant crew of actors for demonstrating the timeless lesson that it’s what’s inside that counts! -- Kristin Ettinger, Editor Pioneer Drama Service |
