Review: RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA at Theater Latté Da

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella has become a staple of the American Musical Theater cannon, produced all around the country quite frequently, it is no surprise that Theater Latté Da wanted to make magic of their own to enchant Twin Cities audiences this holiday season.

Utilizing the newest iteration of the stage musical, written by Douglas Carter Beane, for the most recent Broadway revival, Latté Da has done their best to bring this extremely clunky script to life. For those who are unaware, this version tells the classic story while shoehorning in a story of revolution and demands for reform in Cinderella’s kingdom. While the bones of the well known story remain intact, Beane has chosen to make some odd choices in his version. Turning one of the Step-Daughters into a kind and caring soul who has fallen for a revolutionary and in turn wants to see Cinderella happily married one day. While Beane is well intended in attempting to create newly fleshed out character arcs and inject some more real world drama into the story, it just doesn’t work to entertain the audience like it should.

While the script is a complete departure from the original musical, the incredibly rich music that Rodgers & Hammerstein originally wrote remains as it was written. From the rousing, “The Prince is Giving a Ball” to the soaring, “Ten Minutes Ago”, the audience should have plenty of beautiful music to look forward to. Tragically, the musical numbers are not as wonderful as they could be. Due to the nature of the music, it demands a larger orchestra and strong vocals to carry it home.

Although, there are some notable vocalists in the company, namely Theo Janke-Furman who plays Prince Topher with gusto and Isa Condo-Olvera & Hope Nordquist who embody the step-sisters triumphantly and hilariously, the remaining leads can’t quite deliver on the songs they are tasked with. Not to mention the staging constraints that seem to limit the amount of orchestra members that are able to be on stage for the entirety of the performance. Thus, reducing the music to bare bones of what they could be.

Another aspect that provided bare bones, was the set. While artistically designed with strip lights throughout the set, a strong visual choice as the audience enters the theater, the actors seemed forced to have to play against it. It looks as though it was designed to look like a dance club, which could have been a fantastic location to set a new version of the show. Giving it a different setting than the audience would be used to but it never makes a commitment to that. It feels as though the actors aren’t at home in the space, having to navigate around large mobile beams, and therefore the audience can’t seem to fully buy into the story that is being told because we are not provided enough context of the locations we are in, minus a table to designate the house.

A further issue that seemed to arise was the costuming of the cast. While some of the actors were dressed in what could be considered period attire for the story, others were dressed in t-shirts and jeans. It felt disjointed and as if the audience, were meant to understand why this was done. One idea could be that it was meant to convey the different classes in the kingdom but it just didn’t feel like a fully realized thought. It would have been a fun choice if the costume design had mimicked the set. Perhaps dressing the entire cast in disco or rock and roll era clothing to convey that the show is taking place in a specific location but instead it felt as if a few costume racks from different shows had collided.

While some aspects of the show had some trips and falls, the lighting design, gorgeously crafted by Marcus Dillard, was a true star of the show. The blending of blues, pinks, and purples was a feast for the eyes and it brought a semblance of life to the bare bones set.

Although, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella’s carriage wheels weren’t fully tightened and aligned this time around, it provides a welcome escape from the brisk winter cold.

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