BWW Reviews: CINDERELLA, the ENCHANTED EDITION from showHOPE

Matt Logan could easily have rested on his laurels and simply re-staged the second offering of showHOPE's Cinderella, the Enchanted Edition in exactly the same manner as he did in 2010 - it was a magical evening, at the very least, and it would certainly be easier, acceptable even to his most loyal fans, to have done so. Instead, as expected, Logan, one of the region's finest and most inventive stage directors, chose to re-imagine his vision for Cinderella, giving it a more sophisticated presentation and breathing new vigor into the project while tapping heretofore unknown reserves of creativity among his cast and crew - and even himself.

Following the resounding success of the first mounting of Cinderella, which was so beautifully staged and so stunningly acted, it is kind of amazing that Logan could actually out-do himself. Reaching deep into his impressive bag of theatrical tricks, he was able to create a new vision for Cinderella, one that was as welcoming as the first for new audience members, yet somehow fresh and new for those people fortunate enough to have been on-hand for a second time.

The result? A completely mesmerizing and enormously entertaining version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical which features one of the legendary pair's most beautiful and most memorable, yet somehow less heralded and more easily dismissed, scores. Clearly, Logan's new vision for Cinderella came to life with a zestful energy, built on a foundation of crafty showmanship, exhilarating theatricality and a design aesthetic that easily surpasses the initial mounting.

Under the baton of musical director Stephen Kummer, the award-winning musicians of the Nashville Symphony provided the musical accompaniment, and Logan once again assembled a world-class cast of talented performers to bring the time-honored tale of the orphaned Cinderella to life in support of the efforts of the showHOPE charity, founded by Mary Beth and Stephen Curtis Chapman to give new lives to thousands of orphans around the world.

A thoroughly professional production, performed in the beautiful Laura Turner Hall of Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center, it's hard to imagine a better-acted or more beautifully sung Cinderella. While last year's cast was stellar, this year's assemblage of talent seemed more assured and more cohesive (which is to be expected, I suppose, since they know well the terrain they traverse), elevating the production along the way.

Perhaps the most notable addition to the cast was the lovely Eden Espinosa, whose take on the Fairy Godmother was expressively original, imbuing the character with much-needed warmth and humor. Espinosa's Fairy Godmother is definitely designed for contemporary audiences as she delivered her lines with a deliciously irreverent flair, her vibrant personality eradicating possible comparisons with other godmothers of the past. Clad in a white pantsuit, wearing a platinum blond wig, she easily could have been Dolly Parton's taller, younger doppelganger, yet there was nothing derivative to be found in her performance.

Also new to the cast this year: Nashville's own Broadway and country music superstar Gary Morris, whose resume includes his laudable turn as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Morris was in excellent voice as King Maximillian and his regal bearing allowed him to believably portray the royal father. He was paired with Shelean Newman as Queen Constantina, whose gorgeous voice shone to perfection in the reprise of "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" Newman, one of our city's most accomplished singer/actresses, cut an elegant figure in her bejeweled, turquoise-hued gowns, bringing to mind a youthful Julie Andrews.

Returning as Cinderella and her Prince Christopher, Alli Mauzey and Anthony Fedorov brought a very real sense of confidence to their roles, completely giving themselves over to the romantic spectacle that is Cinderella, performing their duets (particularly "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" and "The Sweetest Sounds") with an artful blending of their voices. Mauzey, as lovely a Cinderella as there could ever be, and Fedorov, dashing and handsome, made for a stunning couple, their pairing exemplifying Logan's astute direction and casting. Mauzey's rendition of "In My Own Little Corner" and her performance of "When You're Driving Through the Moonlight" were well-sung, but it was "A Lovely Night," performed by Cinderella, her stepmother and stepsisters that provided the evening's most endearing musical offering, along with Fedorov's movingly evocative "Loneliness of Evening."

As Lionel, the royal steward, Nashville's own Jake Speck cut a rather rakish figure while delivering some of the night's best comic lines with aplomb - and a very real sense of good comic timing. Thoroughly committed to his role, Speck made the most of his role, exhibiting the talents that made him a star on Broadway before his return to his hometown to helm Studio Tenn (the city's newest professional theater company) with Logan.

And, just like the first time (although Logan directs them to be more ladylike, as if Oscar Wilde's Lady Bracknell was set down among the denizens of Cinderella's village), the thrilling triumvirate of Nashville actresses better known as Nan Gurley, Carolyn German and Bonnie Keen brought the house down with their supremely funny antics. As Cinderella's stepmother, Gurley commands the stage like no one else, delivering her lines with a wonderfully comic ferocity that is ceaselessly entertaining, while German and Keen, both quintessentially fearless comediennes, approach their roles as Joy and Grace with skillful abandon, singing "The Stepsister's Lament" with style and wit. Together, the three women provide a master class for the younger actors in the ensemble, showing them - in such an exquisitely delicious manner - truly how it should be done.

Giving extraordinary support to the principals was the production's gifted ensemble, featuring the enormous talents of some of Nashville's best-loved actors, including Casey Hebbel, MaryKathryn Kopp, Cori Anne Laemmel, Scott Rice, Sloan Yarborough, Will Sevier and Tyson Laemmel, along with relative newcomers (to me, at least) Susannah Smith White, Millicent Martin, Anna Flautt, Larry Cox Jr., Vienna Dohler, Madeline Hall, and Mary Maguruerite Hall, who played the young Cinderella.

Very special notice must be given to two of my most favorite actors: Ashley Anderson McCarthy (who once more provided the outstanding choreography for the production) and her husband, Ciaran McCarthy, one of the most versatile and gifted actors on any stage, anywhere, at any time. Now living in California, seeing them onstage even for one brief evening made the event all the more noteworthy.

The multi-talented Logan's flair for design was prominently on display in the costumes and scenic elements for the production, while Mitch Hansen's lighting design and PK Pictures' film projection appropriately framed the onstage action, while Chris Taylor's sound design provided the perfect mix amid the fine acoustics of the hall. Sondra Nottingham's wig design for the principals were outstanding examples of her craft, while make-up and hair design by Holly Chapman and Genie Freeman helped the actors achieve the proper look for their characters.

- Cinderella, the Enchanted Edition. Music by Richard Rodgers. Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs, from the teleplay by Robert L. Freedman. Directed by Matt Logan. Musical direction by Stephen Kummer. Choreography by Ashley Anderson McCarthy. Presented for showHOPE at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, on April 15.

Pictured: Bonnie Keen and Eden Espinosa/photo courtesy Ms. Keen

To post a comment, you must register and login.