‘Cinderella’ wows at the Arvada Center

Cast, direction, choreography, music, costumes – this one has it all for a holiday season family treat

For those feeling like they’ve seen every holiday show out there but are still looking for something fun for the whole family, the Arvada Center has the answer: a stellar production of ‘Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ running right up to New Year’s Eve. It may not sing “Christmas,” but its grand scale makes it fit right in with the season.

With Kenny Moten’s direction, Jessica Hindsley’s choreography and music direction by Jordan Ortman, this one reaffirms Arvada as the premiere company for locally produced, large-scale musicals in Colorado. It’s a powerhouse team that assembled a very strong cast that starts with a superstar in the lead role accompanied by a variety of great performances from the other characters and a powerful ensemble of dancers that Hindsley leads beautifully. It’s a mix of Colorado talent with some excellent ringers that bring this one to life in a most convincing fashion. And if you’re a believer in the Rodgers and Hammerstein being the one true score, this won’t disappoint.

Compared to the original story, the updated book has a few interesting things that make the story a bit less patriarchal and one-sided. Cinderella wants a handsome prince, sure, but she’s also concerned about some of the social injustice going on in the kingdom as perpetrated by the conniving regent, Sebastian (a perfect and very funny Zayaz Da Camara). And while the evil stepmother, Madame (Megan Van De Hay) is on point with plenty of put-downs and petty grievances, Cinderella’s stepsisters are more nuanced as characters. They’re both very funny and add much more personality to the story than just a couple of meanies.

Charlotte is portrayed by Lily Schmoker with a lot of humor as a graceless, self-deprecating ginger about as dainty as an ox. The other sister, Gabrielle (Rachel Turner), is a tittering dingbat who actually befriends Cinderella when they learn they both have big secrets to keep from Madame. Turner gets as many laughs for her odd exclamations, body contortions and goofy facial expressions than from any of her lines, and it’s an exceptional comedic performance.

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A Cinderella for the ages

But the belle of the ball is, of course, our Cinderella — or “Ella,” as she goes by for most of the show. This is Hillary Fisher, a dynamic actor and singer who lights up this role in so many ways. Forget about the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Disney princess stereotype; Fisher is a lovely Black woman portraying Ella as a tough cookie with a heart of gold. I don’t imagine it was purposefully cast this way, but when she shows up at the ball, she’s the only Black woman among the gaggle of white girls hoping to catch the prince’s attention. In a beautiful black and blue dress and a mask that looks more like a blindfold, Fisher’s entrance is a true showstopper that makes it ever easier to believe how the prince could become so immediately smitten.

As Prince Topher, Ethan Walker does a great job being a kindred spirit to Ella — and after they talk and dance, there’s a lot more than a glass-slipper fitting to solidify their bond. (In an interesting spin, Ella’s first departure from the palace where she would normally lose the one slipper is changed up: She backtracks to grab it and run, setting up a second opportunity for a slipper search.)

Walker doesn’t have quite the pipes that Fisher does, but together they achieve some very nice harmonies as they swiftly bring the characters into synch. As a more sensitive noble willing to hear from the people in advance of becoming king, he’s a counterpart to the Jean-Michel character, played with earnest by Christian McQueen. Friend to Ella and suitor to Gabrielle, Jean-Michel is community activist of sorts eager to get the ear of the prince. Indeed, part of Ella’s efforts include gaining a royal audience for her friend.

As the fairy godmother, Marie, Aléna Watters is a lot of fun as she morphs from the village crazy lady into Ella’s salvation. She’s depicted as an Earth mother of sorts, with flowing clothes and a firm command able to convince Ella it’s really happening.

Aléna Watters as Cinderella’s fairy godmother | Photo: McLeod9 Creative

One other character who, while not endowed with a great many lines, makes the most of them is Madelyn J. Smith as Lord Pinkerton. Sidekick to Sebastian, Smith makes every line memorable as she distances herself from her boss with a handful of snide and pointed comments.

A costume extravaganza

Cinderella, of course, calls for a great many elaborate costumes, and Madison Booth in her Arvada Center debut pulls out all the stops. Ella’s dazzling ball gown is just the start to a fascinating array of inventive costumes. Our evil bureaucrat, Sebastian, is costumed in a getup that makes him look like a cross between Humpty Dumpty and Elizabeth I. The stepsisters both get outrageous hair and costumes for the ball, with Charlotte in a particularly wild multi-patterned ensemble that could, perhaps, attain flight given the right wind and temperature. Hair and wigs are credited to Jocelen Barnett Smith, who clearly had her hands full with all of the characters but none so much as with Gabrielle, whose ’do looks like that of a lion that got in a brawl with a pack of pretzels.

But it’s Van De Hey who is endowed with the most extraordinary costume. Pairing tight, black pants with a boobs-forward corset-like thing and a huge green cape she swishes to great effect, Madame appears dressed more for battle than a ball. A familiar sight on the Arvada Center stage, Van De Hey has a lot of fun playing the role large — with plenty of bluster and cruelty. But she also surfaces some of Madame’s insecurities, undermining her bully persona with touches here and there of the wounded widow she is beneath.

Megan Van De Hey as the evil stepmother, Madame | Photo: McLeod9 Creative

Also well worth noting is the gear afforded some of the footmen or guards. For starters, they’re riding these hoverboard things that enable them to get around the large stage very quickly. Their costumes include matte-black bike helmets that have been outfitted with matching knight-helmet visors that exemplify the level of clever detail throughout the show. From Brian Mallgraves amazing set built on a clock-themed turntable to Jonathan Dunkle’s spot-on lighting effects to Max Silverman’s excellent sound design, Cinderella employs every element of stagecraft imaginable to transport the audience to another place. It’s not modern-day (although they have phones and hoverboards) nor medieval times but something between the two. The balance between the familiar fairy-tale setting with modern touches that resonated strongly with the kids in the audience is quite well done and not something we’ve seen before.

It may be a tale as old as time (the original dates to the 17^th century), but Cinderella is the ultimate rags-to-riches story that will always resonate. This production now up at the Arvada Center is a great example of how even a very old property can be made anew with the right combination of elements tailored to an audience today. See it if you can – and bring the family.