Deborah Lew, Maureen Brennan, Terry Burrell, Natalie Joy Johnson, Joyce Chittick and more will be featured in North Shore Music Theatre's upcoming staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which will run from August 22nd through September 10th at the theatre in Beverly, MA. It will open on August 24th at 7:30 PM.
The
production was originally announced for last year, but a devastating
fire that scorched NSMT (which is now restored) caused it to be
cancelled after only four performances. Directed by Charles Repole, it
will star Lew (The Threepenny Opera) in the title role, Ryan Silverman
as the Prince, Tony Award-nominee Brennan (Candide, Little Johnny
Jones), Burrell (Threepenny Opera, Thoroughly Modern Millie) as Queen
Constantina, Johnson (Bare) as Portia, Chittick (The Pajama Game, Sweet
Charity) as Joy, David Coffee as King Maximilian, Lisa McMillan (Moose
Murders) as the Stepmother and Gregory Sheppard as Herald.
The ensemble will include Tabb, Kristen Calgaro, Debbi Fuhrman, Paul J.
Gallagher, Thom Graham, Kathleen Hatch, Garett Hawe, Arielle Jacobs,
Jane Labanz, Andrew Pacho, Katie Rayle and Nathan Scherich. Eleven
children from local neighborhoods will also be featured in the
production.
"We are thrilled to bring back the magic of Cinderella this
summer," said Jon Kimbell, NSMT's Artistic Director and Executive
Producer. "As we welcome many familiar faces, we are also excited to
work with new cast members and creative staff. Their fresh vision
combined with NSMT's theatrical magic, a beautiful Rodgers and
Hammerstein score and memorable characters promise to make Cinderella a
favorite for all generations."
The show "was originally created for television in 1957 by the legendary musical team of Rodgers and Hammerstein (Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, Carousel). When it was later adapted for the stage, Cinderella
became an instant success and has captivated audiences ever since. This
elegant and clever story about love and hope will doubly thrill its
audiences with dazzling special effects and beautiful music." The
scores includes "Impossible," "In My Own Little Corner," and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?".
A multi-racial 1997 ABC/Disney telemusical of Cinderella starred Brandy in the title role, Montalban as the Prince and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother. It was
the second remake of the beloved 1957 television classic, which
featured a book by Hammerstein. Julie Andrews beamed as Cinderella,
and it also starred Jon Cypher as the Prince, theatre couple Howard
Lindsay and Dorothy Stickney as the King and Queen, Alice Ghostley and
Kaye Ballard as the Stepsisters and Edie Adams as the Fairy Godmother.
The first 1965 remake would star Lesley Anne Warren as the
rags-to-ballgown heroine, Stuart Damon as the Prince, Walter Pidgeon
and Ginger Rogers as the King and Queen, and Celeste Holm as the Fairy
Godmother. While the musical has never been on Broadway, it's had a
national tour with Deborah Gibson, Eartha Kitt and Montalban; the
latter two joined Jamie-Lynn Sigler for its production at Madison
Square Garden.
NSMT
is located at 62 Dunham Rd. in Beverly, MA. Tickets, which range from
$35-$70, can be purchased by calling (978) 232-7200 or by
visiting www.nsmt.org.
