You can still catch the show yourself this weekend and next
PASO ROBLES — Wine Country Theatre has returned to the Park Ballroom stage with its very own take on the Broadway version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” Paso Robles Press was lucky enough to be in the audience opening weekend for the magical experience, but not to worry; the whimsical show is still running for two more weekends.
“It was a long process that was very fun with a lot of challenges. Everybody was on the team, whether it was cast or crew. We all had ideas. The best ideas won. It was such a collaborative group, and that was the focus. Community theater is at its best; we’re all pitching in,” said director Jacob Shearer about making “Cinderella” into a reality.
The musical was originally written by Rodgers & Hammerstein for television in 1957 and starred Julie Andrews as the lead role, with the more popular film version starring Lesley Ann Warren releasing in 1965, and the Dinsey version which starred Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother appearing in 1997. “Cinderella” has also seen a multitude of stage versions all over the world and finally landed on Broadway in March of 2013, with an extensive reworking of the storyline by Douglas Carter Beane.
“This story empowers Cinderella way more than the other common ones we’re familiar with,” Shearer said. “She gets to decide her fate in this one, and through her act of kindness, it becomes contagious, and it shows us just how a simple little change in wording can make everything a lot better in life. That’s the message we focus on.”
He also added that he watched close to 60 versions of the musical in all its iterations from all levels of theatre groups, from high schools to community theatres and professional ones, too. It was there that he discovered how he wanted to make Wine Country Theatre’s version even more unique, including adding a huge dragon that Prince Topher slays during the show, which he had never seen done before. Choreographer Lindsey Villanueva-Taylor also added a fresh flair with the dance numbers throughout.
“I love Rogers & Hammerstein, and one of their favorite choreographers was Anges de Mille, so I tried to pull inspiration from her as well as watching other Rodgers & Hammerstein choreography and stuff like that. But then making it modern and my own and kind of bringing some sass to the stepsisters and the ladies and stuff like that,” added Villanueva-Taylor, who was also in the ensemble. “It was really fun, and then I got to actually do it. I got to actually perform it, which is rare but super exciting, and it was just really special.”
The 2013 version of the beloved musical explores themes like government, the caste system, how kindness above all is important, and how changing your worldview can make a huge impact. It also features new plot lines, like the prince having dead parents, an evil minister, and a rebel in the village looking to make the kingdom a better place. It also explores how Cinderella works with Prince Topher to make him see the world in a different light.
The title role of Cinderella was played beautifully by Grace Anthony, a local actor who made her return to the stage after a 10-year absence.
“I’ve never seen a Cinderella that looks anything like me, and so I think that that’s really important and pretty powerful,” Anthony said. “And as stupid as it sounds, once you’ve seen yourself somewhere that you’ve never seen yourself before, that’s hard to forget. So I hope that I can do that for somebody.”
Jon Estes made his second official appearance on stage in the role of Prince Topher. Earlier this year, he appeared in the ensemble and the Beast understudy in OperaSLO’s “Beauty and the Beast,” and his performance was that of a seasoned veteran.
“I’m learning really quickly that Wine Country Theatre is a close-knit family, and so it’s fun when you get to come to work with all your brothers and sisters every day and make some magic like this happen,” said Estes. “This is my first time doing community theater, and what makes it so cool is that it’s community theater right here in my town in Paso Robles. It’s awesome that I get to play a part not just with this Wine Country family but I get to bring theater every night here to Paso Robles.”
In addition to Anthony and Estes, the play included Veronica Surber starring as The Fairy Godmother, Katie Hoffstetter as the minister Sabine, Cynthia Anthony (Grace’s real mother) as Madame, Brianna Mendoza Pacheco as Charlotte, Ainslea Decoster as Gabrielle, Tom Villa as Jean-Michel, and James Brescia as Lord Pinkleton. Including the leads, the cast was filled with 32 wonderful actors, who without a doubt are having a great time on stage sharing their talents with the audience.
You can experience the magical world of “Cinderella” for yourself at the Park Ballroom in Paso Robles for the next two weekends on Fridays, Aug. 23 and 30, at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays, Aug. 24 and 31, at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, Aug. 25 and Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. For tickets and more information, go to winecountrytheatre.org.
Featured Image: The Fairy Godmother (Veronica Surber), has the Footman, played by Will Schulte, place the glass slippers upon Cinderella (Grace Anthony). Photo by Rex Thornhill.
