A twist of a tale; ‘Cinderella:’ Returning to classic tale with laughs
Published 11:20 am Thursday, January 26, 2017
- Chloe Guttormson makes a wish to her Fairy Godmother to hold the rain off during rehearsal for the Matchbox Children’s Theatre production of “Cinderella,” Wednesday night. Photos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Matchbox Children’s Theatre will present “Cinderella” this weekend at the Historic Paramount Theatre in Austin — a retelling of the classic tale that comes with large doses of fun and comedy, says director Angela Donovan.
“We have had a lot of fun,” she said. “We have added some really funny comedic ‘bits’ to the show. There is a lot of dancing and music — a lot of fun elements throughout the show.”
The hour-long production, appropriate for ages 3 on up, will be presented at 7 p.m. on Friday, and at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets at the door are $10 for adults, $6 for youth ages 14 and under, and free of charge for those 2 years and under.
Donovan returns as director of the show in which she appeared in 2003, when she played the younger stepsister to Cinderella.
The Fairy Godmother, played by Jae Gerber, narrates the opening to the Matchbox Children’s Theatre’s “Cinderella” behind Cinderella, played by Chloe Guttormson.
She knew then that if she had the chance, she would direct the show and add her own brand of fun and comedy.
“I’ve always loved comedy,” said Donovan, so she has included a lot of hilarious accents throughout the show.
“We even have a funny wrestling scene; to do it the right way, we had the husband of our assistant director (Deidre Smith), come in” and help choreograph the scene. Randy Smith is the head wrestling coach at Grand Meadow schools.
Another fun element will be the inclusion of the color pink in costumes and set, since the theatre is a major supporter of Paint the Town Pink campaign that raises funds for breast cancer research at The Hormel Institute in Austin.
The ugly stepsisters played by Diann Smith, left, and Denni Heimer, get into it as they try to learn charm from their mother played by Kim Potter during rehearsal for the Matchbox Children’s Theatre production of “Cinderella,” Wednesday night at The Paramount Theatre.
“We have included pink in a lot of areas of the show, and especially in Cinderella’s gorgeous ball gown,” said Donovan.
Cinderella, or any cast member, will be available after each performance to have their photograph taken with an audience member for the price of a donation to the campaign.
The tale is true to the beloved children’s tale of Cinderella, played by Chloe Guttormson, who must put up with her stepmother and stepsisters. Donovan said the presentation is geared more toward silliness than wickedness, although the stepmother, played by Kim Potter, “is definitely not a nice lady.”
“But the sisters are definitely among the funniest characters in this production,” she said.
The cast of 12 includes both children and adults — another enjoyable experience in directing the show, said Donovan. There is even a mother-daughter team: Potter appears with her daughter, Kalli, who plays a serving maid in the show.
The technical crew is led by John Wik, who also designed the set; stage manager is Megan Dilley-Jones; light and sound is handled by Scott Anderson; and costume designer is Carley Carrenza.
The Jester (Matt King) tells the Prince (Ed Dreyer) about introducing him to Cinderella.
Cast members are:
Stepmother, Kim Potter; Older Sister, Denni Heimer; Younger Sister, Diann Smith; Jester, Matt King; Prince, Ed Dreyer; Fairy Godmother, Jae Gerber; Cinderella, Chloe Guttormson; Cinderella’s Double, Marlea Emberson; Footmen, Lawson Schmit and Isaac Zerke; Ball Guests, Megan Dilley-Jones, Meg Barinka and Marlea Emberson; Serving Maid, Kalli Potter.
