Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it’s Cinderelly— and she’s coming to Grand Marais December 10-13! Grand Marais Playhouse presents Cinderella
as its annual holiday season children’s play this month and it is only 35 minutes long. What? 35 minutes? That’s the question I posed to Playhouse Director Sue Hennessy last week.
After previously enjoying holiday plays of full length—Seussical, Annie
and the Wizard of Oz
come to mind—I couldn’t imagine the classic Cinderella
being done in a mere 35 minutes. Well, just leave it to our children! This season’s production of Cinderella
is the perfect start to the winter season as our children capture the magic of make believe and the belief that dreams really do come true.
Cinderella’s
cast consists of 39 children ages 12 and younger. Director Sue Hennessy told me she purposely chose a shorter production this season for several reasons. As this is the Playhouse’s 40th anniversary year, the Playhouse is planning a grand production of Treasure
Island
in April and June.
The cast of Disney’s Cinderella—all 39 players—is having a wonderful time preparing to present the magical play. It’s only playing for one weekend, so don’t miss out! Get your tickets for the shows, December 10 – 13, now!
The decision was made to make Treasure Island
the “big” play this year. Cinderella,
on the other hand, has allowed Hennessy and music director Shelby Anderson to focus on developing the children’s group singing talents. The Playhouse hopes to play a helpful role in developing young voices. Cinderella
has proved to be a great choice in furthering that goal as the play has many wonderful well-known songs that are easy for the children to learn. The opportunity to have some vocal tips will help the children in future productions. Plus, the children love the singing!
Listening to the children chatter about their parts in the play, what they liked most, and their overall experience in the theatre has been a fun (and funny) experience. Prince Charming, played by Sam Sietsema, informed me that this was his fourth play and he was not at all bothered that he was the only
boy that tried out for the play. He is very happy with his role, loves the dancing, and has worked very hard at memorizing his lines. His beautiful counterpart, the lovely Cinderella, played by Andrea Larsen, also indicated that she practiced at home and she did not appear very nervous! The Toftey sisters, Hannah and Sarah, play the roles of the wicked stepsisters. Their “fighting” on stage seems very realistic, as does the wicked stepmother’s delight in her daughters’ mean spirits. The stepmother, Ashley Berglund, told me “it’s cool to be evil” and she is having a great time with the role she had hoped to get.
What about the children who didn’t get the main roles in the play? Well, it seems that everyone in the play is busy the majority of the time! Take Molly Sietsema, a mouse—her favorite part is when she gets to be a wheel on Cinderella’s carriage…or villager, Hannah VanderHeiden, who can’t wait to be wearing a beautiful gown at the ball.
Even the older students are having a blast. Erica Marxen told me she has fun just watching the younger kids, and Julia Larson, the Grand Duke, is looking forward to wearing a monocle! Brenna Hay had the advantage of seeing Cinderella done as a play previously, and she is enjoying her role as a narrator and “hanging out” with the rest of the cast. Ah, the fun of simply being in a play. The children’s enthusiasm is contagious.
Emma Bradley is in charge of costumes. She said it wasn’t too hard to outfit the cast for this play. The girls, of course, are all excited about the gowns they get to wear. Emma said that over the years people have donated formals to the Playhouse, so Cinderella was a great play to put these pretty dresses to use.
Stage Manager Twyla Pederson is enjoying her role in the play as well. She is learning to run the music cues, move the set and even work with lights. The other two stage managers, Ian Nelson and Molly Thomas, will be invaluable as well, as it takes lots of help behind the scenes.
Cinderella
is a great example of what community theatre is all about—from music directors to play directors to the people in charge of costumes and lights and music! It’s a production that takes a small village to do well. Take the time to come see this magical production. Our children have worked hard to produce a play that will make you not only feel good, but feel proud of what a great collection of talent we have in our midst. Our children plus Cinderella—
put ‘em together and what have you got?
Bibbidi-Bobbidi–Boo!
This behind the scenes look at
Grand Marais Playhouse activities
is provided by Playhouse
Board Member Maureen
O’Phelan.
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