Cinderella previewRaleigh Little Theatre Preview RLT'S ZANY ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF “CINDERELLA” On Dec. 11-13 and 17-20, Raleigh Little Theatre will present its zany 26th annual presentation of CINDERELLA in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh, NC. Long-time RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons, who has directed all 25 previous RLT productions of CINDERELLA, will once again team up with choreographer Missy Dapper and musical director Julie Florin to stage this delightful musical comedy, which features music by Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy and a book and lyrics by Eiler, based on the familiar French fairy tale by Charles Perrault (1628-1703). According to preshow publicity: “Raleigh Little Theatre proves again that dreams really can come true. The beautiful lass-who-lost-her-slipper [Sara Abernethy as Cinderella] makes her 26th annual appearance in hopes of finding her Prince Charming [Gregory Wait]. This beloved fairy tale, retold in the style of English pantomime, has been delighting audiences in the Triangle area for over a quarter-century. Combine elegant costumes and magical scenery with song and dance, conniving step-relatives [Carly Jones as Cinderella's evil Stepmama and Dennis Poole and Tim Cherry -- in glorious drag -- as Cinderella's ugly stepsisters Gertrude and Henrietta] with a zany Fairy Godmother [Lisa Kinlaw], and you have all of the ingredients for holiday cheer.” The other 2009 “principals” include: Jordan Clifton and Jason Cooper as Fairy Godmother's Helpers; Warren Keyes as King Darling; Nicholas Kraft as the Young Prince; and Caroline D'Ercole and Jordan Monk as Pages. The mice whom the Fairy Godmother transforms into ponies to pull Cinderella's carriage include Trevon Vickers, John Coleman Demers, Leilani Carr, Elizabeth Sullivan, Melanie Davis, and Jessica McGee. According to RLT's website, the men's ensemble includes Ruffin Hicks, Lee King, Randy Jordan, Benjamin Goldman, and Vaughn Vreeland; and the women's ensemble includes Ford Hibbits, Jess Barbour, Caitlin Hutchins, Stephanie Kaszycki, Ashley Morris, Amy Berenson, Kerry Sullivan, Jean Marie Whaley, Claire Cuthburt, and Emily Schmid. In addition to director Haskell Fitz-Simons, the 2009 creative team for CINDERELLA includes choreographer Missy Dapper, musical director Julie Florin, technical director Jim Zervas, set designers Rick Young and Bill Rodgers, lighting designer Rick Young, costume designers Vicki Olson and John Franklin, properties mistress Betsy Bates, mouse nanny Marie Berry, and stage manager Mike McGee. In a 2006 interview with TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW, director Haskell Fitz-Simons said, “I would be lying if I said I didn't have to get myself into the mindset to direct CINDERELLA every year. 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.” In his 2007 interview, Fitz-Simons added, “Over the years, 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.... “Everybody thinks all you have to do is dust CINDERELLA off and take it downtown,” claims Fitz-Simons, “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. [In 2006, costume designer] Vicki Olson ... 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,” explained 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 claimed. “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 added, “The yarn wigs, which are sort of a trademark of the show, have a distinct shelf life. [In 2006], 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,” said 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 at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11, 17, and 18; 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 12 and 19; and 1 p.m. Dec. 13 and 20 in A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27601. TICKETS: $17 balcony and $27 orchestra (all ages). BOX OFFICE: 919/821-3111 or http://www.etix.com/. NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and assistive listening devices are available for all shows. SHOW: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/performances/09-10/cinderella26.html. PRESENTER: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/. VENUE: http://www.progressenergycenter.com/. PARKING: http://www.progressenergycenter.com/page.php?mode=privateview&pageID=37. OTHER LINKS: Cinderella (from D. L. Ashliman's folktexts, a library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology): http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0510a.html. WHAT: The TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Alan R. Hall and others. (For brief bios of our critics, see the CVNC biographies page.) Classical Voice of North Carolina, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and this state's leading performing-arts platform, not only pays our reviewers but also makes continued publication of TTR possible. The online versions of our critics' theater reviews are now listed on the CVNC Reviews page. 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