The 23rd edition of Raleigh Little Theatre’s gala presentation of Cinderella, performed Dec. 8-10, 12, and 14-17 in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh, NC, will have some new wrinkles, says long-time RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons.

“We have actually added a new scenic element for a new scene, which I want to be a surprise,” Fitz-Simons says. “Many of this year’s cast members are veterans of previous productions, but we have a new Cinderella and a new Prince Charming. Susanna Hailey has actually come up through the ranks. She started out as a Page—she was actually a Page last year—and Ryan Smith is new to the area, and will be making his RLT debut in Cinderella.

“Our King Darling is new this year, too,” says Haskell Fitz-Simons. “Edward Rutherford is one of those guys who grew up going to classes at RLT and went away and got his drama degree at Northwestern University and came back and is now playing a principal role.”

Fitz-Simons adds, “The rest of the principals performed in last year’s show. Sandi Sullivan once again plays the Wicked Stepmother, Tim Cherry and Dennis Poole return as the Ugly Stepsisters, and Julia Rogers plays the Fairy Godmother for the second year, and her helpers are again Curtis Brown and Jason Justice.

“We have a whole slew of new ensemble members,” says Fitz-Simons. “One of our Mice, Michelle Lehman, has played a mouse for four years. She’s still the smallest of the Mice, but she is our mouse captain this year.”

Based on the now-familiar fairy tale by French writer and poet Charles Perrault (1628-1703), who penned his 1697 collection, Contes de ma mère l’oye (Tales of Mother Goose), in a simple, unaffected style to entertain his children, this hilarious musical version of Cinderella features a book and lyrics by Jim Eiler and music by Eiler and Jeanne Bargy, who originally adapted the beloved story for The Prince Street Players, which specialized in children’s musicals that charmed and amused children of all ages.

In describing this screamingly funny fractured fairy tale, a Christian Science Monitor critic once wrote, “In a way it is all too good for children which of course is the only thing good enough for them.”

In addition to director and choreographer Haskell Fitz-Simons, the Cinderella production team includes associate choreographer Missy Dapper, assistant to the director Carlie Huberman, style coach Jo Brown, musical director Megan Crosson, technical director and co-set designer Roger Bridges, co-set designer and lighting designer Rick Young, costume designers Vicki Olson, wigs and hair stylist Benjamin Butler, properties mistress Betsy Bates, and stage manager Kerry Sullivan.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t have to get myself into the mindset to direct Cinderella every year,” admits Haskell Fitz-Simons. He adds, “We try to make the show fresh and new every year. We have to fight the dreaded disease of automatic pilot. I think we’re very good at that.

“Over the years,” Fitz-Simons says, “I have developed a series of ensemble-building rehearsals where we don’t work on Cinderella, but we work on an ensemble where every company member can feel confident about bringing his or her creative energies to the table.… That’s one of the things that helps me to get jazzed for doing the show every year.”

Fitz-Simons adds, “Everybody thinks all you have to do is dust Cinderella off and take it downtown, but that is so not true of the costume department. I have a knack of picking actors and actresses who are different sizes from the costumes that we have in stock. This year, [costume designer] Vicki Olson has had to make six new gentlemen’s court costumes, which are huge tailoring jobs, and two new women’s court costumes, which require even more work.

“You cannot wear [an 18th century] costume like that unless you have the appropriate undergarments,” explains Fitz-Simons. “and Vicki has always outfitted the women of the ensemble with period corsets. After a period of time, all those corsets died, so she has had to build all new ones this year. In addition to that, she has to alter all the costumes and make sure they fit the people who are wearing them this year.

“So, the costume shop has been abuzz,” Fitz-Simons claims. “This is the time a year when every sewing machine is going, and all the cutting tables are filled, and the wig tables are piled high. So, there’s lots of stuff going on down there.”

Haskell Fitz-Simons adds, “The yarn wigs, which are sort of a trademark of the show, have a distinct shelf life. This year, the men’s court wigs were unusable, so we had to make another set, as well as styling all the rest of the wigs and decorating them and bringing them up to snuff.

“There’s [also] maintenance of costumes after every performance,” says Fitz-Simons, “and laundering of tights and camisoles and t-shirts. All the undergarments get washed after pretty nearly every show to keep from having to clean the outer garments during the run. The dry cleaning for Cinderella is one of our huge budget items every year.”

Raleigh Little Theatre presents Cinderella Friday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 9-10, at 1 and 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, Dec. 14-15, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 16-17, at 1 and 5 p.m. in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 1 E. South St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $15-$25. 919/821-3111 or click here. Note 1: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and there will be assistive listening devices at all performances. Note 2: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh (http://www.artsaccessinc.org/) will provide audio description at the 1 p.m. Dec. 10th performance. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/performances/cinderella23.html.

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