A story hundreds of years old comes to life on the Kweskin Theatre stage, Stamford, when Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella opens November 19. The timeless enchantment of a magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance.
This latest adaptation of the story that has roots in ancient Greece played on Broadway in 2013 and now comes to Stamford for the first time in Curtain Call’s presentation at the Sterling Farms Theatre Complex. This contemporary take on the classic tale features Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” alongside an up-to-date, hilarious and romantic libretto by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane.
“Cinderella is a fabulous show for the holiday season and I hope to see hundreds of area families at the theatre to enjoy it,” said Curtain Call executive director, Lou Ursone. “It’s a show that we haven’t done here for nearly 30 years, so I’m very excited to bring it back to our community,” he added.
Directing this beautiful musical is Meredith Walker, with music direction by Clay Zambo and choreography by Kristin Ruggieri. Scenic design is by Peter Barbieri, Jr., lighting design by Peter Petrino and costume design by Mary Joan Wright and Merial Cornell.
“Meredith has directed several of our most popular and successful productions over the past several years, so I’m thrilled to have her in the director’s seat for this show,” Ursone noted. (Everyone on the creative team has extensive credits with Curtain Call and elsewhere.)
Walker said, “When Lou approached me about directing the Broadway Edition of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, I jumped at the chance to revisit this piece with my longtime collaborator, Kristin Ruggieri. After a hard almost 2 years of no live theatre, then Zoom theatre, then socially distanced/limited capacity/outdoor only theatre, it’s been great to be back inside rehearsing “the real thing.”
Ursone and Walker explained that Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella has had three iconic TV movie versions – first in 1957 with Julie Andrews, in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren, and again in 1997 with Brandy and Whitney Houston. Walker added, “The Broadway Edition, which debuted in 2013, has a revised book that modernizes the classic fairytale we all know and love. One of the things I love most about this edition is that Cinderella is not “saved” by the Prince, rather, they save each other.”
In the title role – actually, she’s called Ella in this version – is Curtain Call veteran performer, Rebecca Borowik. Her prince – known as Topher – is played by Bill King, who appeared in Curtain Call’s season opener, 1776. Others in the cast include: Alexandra Cahr, George Croom, Molly Eagleton, Betsy Grover, Griffin Handley, Willow Handley, Gene Juanich, Cara Kramer, Jesse Latorraca. Emma Listokin, Michael Okulski, Charlotte Roth, Barbara Salant, Paula Shtein, Dan Travers and Chris Woodside.
Performances will be held Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:00PM, from November 19 to December 18. There will also be four Saturday matinees at 2:00PM, November 27, December 4, 11 and 18. The Kweskin Theatre is located at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT. Doors open one half hour before show time. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for senior citizens and $20 for children under 21. (Discounted Flex Pass subscriptions offer savings of 25% and more.) Box Office: 203-461-6358 x 13 or on the web at www.curtaincallinc.com.
Cinderella is produced in cooperation with The City of Stamford with support from the CT Office of the Arts and funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. It is produced through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
Curtain Call was voted Fairfield County’s BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP ten years running in the Annual Readers’ Poll of the Fairfield County Weekly and has received similar BEST OF awards from Stamford Magazine and StamfordPlus magazine for 2008 through 2018. Curtain Call received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2011 and the ACE Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture from the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County in 2016.
