Cinderella: A Springtime Spectacular Comes to HMHS!
February 15, 2022
Editors’ Note: Click Here to view the Cinderella Trailer!
After two years of Covid-impacted musicals, the HMHS drama club is excited to be back with a full-production play: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella!
This take on the classic fairytale is not all it seems. There is a focus of growing civil unrest amongst peasants, corruption of the wealthy leaders working behind the back of Prince Topher, and, arguably most admirable, a taste of Cinderella choosing her own destiny. Auditions for the production were back in late November, with the bulk of rehearsals starting off in January, after winter break.
Mr. DiDonato, the director of the musical, explained how the task of making Cinderella as magical as possible is no easy feat, “But, I would say my favorite part of the show itself is ‘The Prince is Giving a Ball,’ because almost every actor is on stage and the number builds the excitement for the rest of the show.”
In the title role is Katie Walsh, a junior who will portray the legendary stepdaughter on stage in this tasteful retelling. Other leading roles include Prince Topher (commonly referred to as “Prince Charming” in other versions of the tale), played by junior Griffin Adams; Madame, the evil stepmother, with senior Mary-Clare Michael taking the lead; the stepsisters Charlotte and Gabrielle by Erica Watts and Kiki Shim respectively, and Marie, the fairy godmother, played by Shaelin McKenna.
Other contributors to the play include T.Mills, the choir director who is taking the helm on all the vocal attributes of the show, as well as Ms. DeRossi, the resident dance teacher here at HMHS. “Inspiration comes from many different places while choreographing. Specifically for our production of Cinderella, I spent a lot of time researching and viewing various versions of Cinderella, while also reading and dissecting the script and music,” she explained when asked about her means of creating choreography, “Once I have a good understanding of the scene and the story being told, it is easier to create movement to fit the specific tone. This show has a large amount of dancing in many different styles. It has been a lot of fun creating the choreography for Cinderella and finding ways to showcase our talented cast!”
Following last year’s Gypsy, Cinderella is sure to be another showstopper, with more full-cast oriented numbers in comparison to the previous show. “Especially ‘after’ the pandemic (and I use the term loosely), we wanted to do a larger-than-life full cast show that would be an exciting event for everyone in the community,” concluded DiDonato about his choice for the show, “We wanted something joyful and magical and huge, and Cinderella fit the bill.” Cinderella’s opening night is on March 18th, with closing on the 26th.
