The CINDERELLA Files: Anthony Fedorov

Although he's quickly gaining stature as a musical theatre personality, singer Anthony Fedorov admits that he may be a little intimidated by his fellow cast members in this week's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in Nashville.

Presented as the spring celebration of showHOPE, the international charity founded by contemporary Christian music superstar Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, Cinderella not only features the musicians of the Nashville Symphony, but it also boasts a cast that includes some of Broadway's brightest luminaries, along with some of Nashville theatre's best-known names.

"This is my first experience with Cinderella and with the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein," he says during a recent phone interview. "I have to admit it was a little overwhelming when I saw who was going to be in the cast...my jaw dropped to the floor. I'll be coming into rehearsals like a little pup among all the big dogs, or else I'll be running around like a chick with his head cut off."

Fedorov's castmates in the star-studded production - directed and designed by Matt Logan, a Nashville native, whose work in New York City included staging events much like this - include Tony Award-winner Heather Headley (Aida) as The Fairy Godmother, Tony nominee Jodi Benson (Crazy for You) as Queen Constatina, BeBe Winans as King Maximillian, Jake Speck (Jersey Boys on Broadway) as Lionel and Alli Mauzey (Hairspray, Wicked, Cry-Baby) in the title role. Fedorov will sing the role of Prince Christopher and backstage spies tell us his duets with Mauzey are certain to dazzle audiences.

"Heather Headley is one of my favorite singers of all time and the rest of the cast is amazing! We're only going to have a little time to rehearse - and I confess that I am a little starstruck," Fedorov concedes. "I'll have to hide that, though, and put on my game face as I walk into rehearsal."

Known initially as a finalist from American Idol's fourth season, Fedorov is now becoming even better known in theatre circles, having played the role of Matt in The Fantasticks off-Broadway and the role of Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Oklahoma City and Seattle.

But he's been singing far longer than his stint on American Idol: "I started singing at two years old, if you can call it that," he jokes. "And I started singing professionally at 15. When I was very young, I started listening to Marc Anthony's music and I would pop his karaoke CD into my sound system every afternoon, and start wailing out his songs. I was really bad at first - as everyone will tell you -but I got better and better and people really started supporting me and I started doing gigs."

Marc Anthony remains one of his favorite performers and is clearly one of his own idols, a charmed circle that also include Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Richard Marx and Bryan Adams.

"American Idol was my big break so far, but I've been able to watch my career develop and diversify into musical theatre," he explains. "To have that fan base - the musical theatre fan base - really means a lot to me and that tells me I may have a career in this."

But the celebrity that Fedorov gained from his Idol experience is something of a double-edged sword. "You tend to be stereotyped until you prove that you can do something else," he confesses. "When I'm going into a production I feel that I need to work extra hard and show the director and other performers that it wasn't just about me being on American Idol, but I have to show them I can actually do this - and I do the best I can to prove myself."

When the invitation came for Federov to take on the role of Prince Christopher in Cinderella, he jumped at the chance to join the starry cast and to lend his name and talent to showHOPE's efforts.

"I've got to give so much credit to everyone at showHOPE for everything they are doing to make sure that this comes off well," he says. "I am extremely proud of all they have done to make sure this production succeeds, especially after the flooding in Nashville."

Because of catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee during the first weekend of May, the benefit performance of Cinderella has been relocated from the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville to the Allen Arena on the campus of David Lipscomb University, on Friday, May 14, at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30 to $130 and are available at the Allen Arena box office, online at www.showhope.org or by calling (615) 966-7075.

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