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Cinderella’s
(Ingrid Pharris Goebel) coach arrives to take her to the ball. Photo by David
Nowitz.
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Playwright
and composer Ted Ryle adapted the play from the children’s picture book by
Ellen Jackson. Guitarist Rich Sikorski, composer Miriam Sterlin and Ryle’s
daughter Mandy Ryle all pitched in to help with the music.
Ryle
says the project began more than 15 years ago when he and his wife, Jen (OFT
co-founder) read the book Cinder Edna
to their daughters, who are now all grown. It is a labor of love pulled
together with a Kickstarter campaign and the help of many dedicated Olympia theater
folk.
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The favored son, Prince Randolph,
(Xander Layden) can't imagine anyone finer than himself. Photo by Dinea DePhoto.
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The
story is about Cinderella’s next door neighbor, Edna, who, like Ella, is a
maid. But there’s a big difference between the two young women surviving
degrading servitude and poverty. While Ella (Ingrid Goebel) is a self-pitying
whiner who cries a lot and dreams that someday her prince will come, Edna
(Carolyn Willems-Van Dijk) is a go-getter, an entrepreneur who bakes and sells
casseroles and revels in telling jokes that are as silly as they are funny. And
there is more than one prince, oh yeah. Prince Randolph (Xander Layden) is the
most narcissistic character since Narcissus himself. He prances and preens and
spends a whole lot of time looking at his most gorgeous reflection in the
mirror. Prince Rupert (Harrison Fry) is the misfit in the royal family. He runs
a recycling business, wears clothes pieced together from recycled materials and
loves puns. And he may be the only person in the kingdom who thinks Edna’s
jokes are funny.
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Now matter how hard Cinder Edna's
(Carolyn Fry) stepsisters (Meghan Goodman and Priscilla Zal) try, they just
can't seem to make her life miserable. Photo by Dinea DePhoto.
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Everyone
knows what happens when Ella goes to the ball. What’s not quite so well known
is that Edna also goes to the ball, and she meets and falls in love with Prince
Rupert.
It
is a delightful children’s story played for adult laughs too with lots of
topical humor and with 23 original songs, mostly done in styles reminiscent of
pop songs from the 1950s, played by a six-piece band which provides scene
transitions with perfectly-chosen pop standards like “I Could Have Danced All
Night” and “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” and the wedding march at just the
right moment.
Kate
Ayers’ direction is spot-on. The set by Jill Carter is and gorgeous, with
beautifully painted backdrops marvelously bathed in pastel colors — magical lighting
also designed by Carter.
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Cinder Edna (Carolyn Fry) and Prince
Rupert (Harrison Fry) discover a true happy ending doesn't require
uncomfortable footwear. Photo by Dinea DePhoto.
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Goebel
and Willems-Van Dijk turn in outstanding performances as Ella and Edna. They’re
both good comic actors and both sing well — and nobody cries like Goebel. Fry
and Layden each make their characters absurdly believable.
In
supporting roles, Amanda Stevens and Priscilla Zal stand out. Stevens, who
plays the queen and the fairy godmother and other roles has a great voice, and
she achieves haughtily disdainful looks with style. Zal plays the voice and
puppeteer for a smart-alecky parrot, and her expressively screechy parrot voice
is hilarious.
Cinder
Edna is a show for children and adults that fits beautifully in the intimate
space of the Washington Center’s black box but could play equally well on a
major stage. I can imagine it being a hit at Seattle’s 5th Avenue or
Paramount. I’d love to see it go forward to productions in other venues, but
don’t wait for that to happen. See it now while you can. You’ll love it.
Performances
May 30 and 31 at 7 and 9 p.m. and June 1 at 1, 3, 4:30 and 6 p.m., The
Washington Center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets online at http://olyft.org/tickets/
or at the box office. 360.753.8586
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