This weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited by a friend to see the musical Cinderella at the Brooks Center for free. Put on by Work Light Productions, people may have been surprised if they were expecting the traditional Disney version of the story. It was instead told in the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s style with the accompanying musical soundtrack.
This version of the story, one that I personally had never seen before, was refreshing. The character of Cinderella was more complex. She advocated for issues in the kingdom, including the taking of land from the poor, to the Prince and inspired him to take action. She encouraged him to meet his people and stand up to his advisors instead of sitting around passively. In addition, she embraced her identity by changing her name from Ella to Cinderella to inspire others to dream big.
Cinderella was portrayed by the actress Tatyana Lubov who did a splendid job at remaining animated and energetic through the whole two hour production. However, I believe that the actor who played Prince Topher, Hayden Stanes, stole the show. His rich singing voice made me want to hear more of his solos and less from Cinderella. The ensemble had some acrobatic elements with occasional backflips and handsprings down the length of the stage which made it impossible for your eyes to stray away from the performance. Overall, it was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish!