Prescott theatre troupe bringing fairy tale to life in musical form

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PRESCOTT—In the fairy tale “Cinderella,” the lead character dreams of being transformed from housemaid into the “belle of the ball.”

Her dream ultimately comes true and so can the wish of anyone wanting to witness her story live, locally and in musical form. The Great River Road Theatre troupe in Prescott will present the Rodgers and Hammerstein version of “Cinderella” beginning Thursday, July 9, in the park across from the middle school.

“It’s a fairy tale for grown-ups,” Director Judy Johnson said Wednesday, summarizing the plot as being about a fairy godmother who grants Cinderella’s wish, turning a pumpkin into a carriage and the housemaid’s attire into a beautiful gown, before the young woman meets a prince and ends up getting married.

Not to be confused with “Sleeping Beauty,” who succumbs to a spell from the bite of an apple, this tale involves a search for the owner of a glass slipper. In her haste to exit the ball by the midnight hour, when the godmother has warned her everything will revert to as in the past, Cinderella loses the special footwear and leaves it behind. The quest is then on to find the foot it fits.

Approximately 20 adults are in the cast, along with another 20 five-to-nine-year-olds portraying “little mice,” said Johnson, whose co-director is LuAnn Sabelko. Auditions were held in March and rehearsals began after Easter, with dress rehearsals scheduled for early this week. The principal roles and actors are: Cinderella, Terese Fasbender; Prince, Josh Reis; King, Rob Daugherty; Queen, Laurie Dibb; Stepmother, Liz Gerke; Stepsisters, Marty Mertz and Krista Christensen; Fairy Godmother, Deb Kariesch; and Steward/Coachman/Jack-of-All-Parts, Ken Johnson.

An orchestra comprised by area volunteers will provide accompaniment, Johnson said. Some of the numbers audiences will recognize are: “Ten Minutes Ago I Met You,” “I Love You Because,” “Impossible” and “Sisters’ Lament.”

Read more in the print version of the Herald July 8.

Tags: pierce county, local news, fairy tale, great river road theatre, rodgers and hammerstein, prescott, cinderella, musical