Photos by Mike Morgan, Kris Ikejiri
—Jan Farrington
Shame on me, I suppose, but I never much cared for Disney’s animated 1950s Cinderella. If my memory’s correct, her high-pitched voice (and those mice!) got on my tiny last nerves.
But when a TV Cinderella came along in 1957, with songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein and a very young Julie Andrews playing the part, I was a goner. I’d already been wearing dangerously deep grooves in my parents’ cast recording of the Broadway musical My Fair Lady (1956, with Julie in the lead role)—and yes, she was a soprano too…but hers was a richer, warmer soprano, however high she went.
It’s borderline TMI to add that I’ve seen the majority of R&H Cinderella productions that have come my way over the years. I can’t help it: I like my fairy tales delivered with gorgeous music, a romance to care about—and even a bit of edge and comedy in the mix.
Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas delivers on all counts.
Samantha Snow has a lovely voice and warm stage presence that’s just right for the role of orphaned Ella, whose snarky stepmother Madame (Susan Metzger) treats her as a servant girl. We see quickly that Ella is an optimist (“My Own Little Corner”) and a sweetie, but not a pushover. If she sees someone needing help, she takes action. Perhaps that’s what endears her to the muttering, mysterious (crazy?) lady wandering the neighborhood (Sarah Powell), who reveals herself as Ella’s magical godmother (aka “Marie” in this version). She and Ella make a great team, both insisting that life can get much, much better—and nothing’s “Impossible.”
At the edges of Ella’s world, we’re given glimpses of Prince Topher (Daniel Walker), who’s just back from university and ready to be crowned King, if only the interfering (and possibly evil) courtier Sebastian (Doug Fowler) will back off and let Topher follow his good instincts. Ha! That’s going to take some doing…but somehow, we trust him to get things done.
In this “Broadway version” of the show, revamped several years ago by playwright Douglas Carter Beane, there’s an added “social protest” sub-plot that might startle those who haven’t met up with it yet—but I think it works. A local activist named Jean-Michael (Anthony Ortega) is trying to rouse the people to push back against greedy Sebastian, who is taking their land. Jean-Michael is struggling to reach the Prince and tell him what’s going on.
Ortega is an unexpected character who catches our attention: he’s a longtime friend of Ella, and crazy about one of the two step-sisters, Gabrielle (Kayla Starr Bryan). She’s smart, bookish, brave—unlike her comically silly sister Charlotte (Meghan MacLellan). Gabrielle will make a great sidekick for the protest movement that’s brewing. Upgraded feminism aside, the two sisters still do a hilarious version of their “Lament” about why the Prince looks at “merely lovely” Ella and not them!
Walker’s Prince has a strong voice and engagingly natural manner—he’s a young man who’s growing up fast both in love and politics. He and Snow sing a lovely “Ten Minutes Ago,” and his second-act solo (“Loneliness Of Evening”) is a Richard Rodgers ballad at its best. (Sigh.) Fowler as Sebastian is just nasty enough, and we take him seriously. Both Bryan and MacLellan have comic chops and lively energy as the not-so-bad stepsisters. And Sarah Powell’s Marie comes out from under (her hood) to deliver some really fine singing. She’s a strong, hovering presence assuring us things will go “happily ever after” …eventually.
Michael Serrecchia oh-so-ably directs this vibrant production, with help from assistant director/choreographer Alvaro Carranza, plus music director Jeff Crouse and his tuneful pit orchestra. Both singers and accompaniment are enhanced by crystal-clear sound from designer Thomas Bartke, though at my performance there were a few late-show crackles from the body microphones to deal with.
This is a good-looking show, and there’s an extra-special reason for that, says set designer Joseph Cummings. Literally “flying” up and down from the heights of the stage space (they’re called “the flies,” in fact) are some stunning vintage 1950s and 1960s stage backdrops—of the sort you might travel to the Metropolitan Opera to find…and maybe not even there these days unless you’re very lucky indeed.
The backdrops were created by renowned scenic designer Peter Wolf for shows at The Music Hall at Fair Park all those decades ago, Cummings wrote in a program note. They’re quite a gift, and an extraordinary passing-along of theater history in our area.
For Cinderella, the drops included the filigreed fronts of old-fashioned “gingerbread” houses, intricately carved door and window frames, and a stunning woodland that looked like an 18th century painting come to life—delicate trunks and clustered, leafy branches arching over the action—in a triple-layer design that let characters hide, peek, and wander in and out. What a wonder!
Cinderella runs through November 22 in the Irving Arts Center’s Dupree Theatre, a treat for Rodgers & Hammerstein fans, lovers of vintage song stylings, and fairy tale fans who like their fairy tales just a big “fractured” and fun.
WHEN: November 6-22, 2026
WHERE: 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving TX
WEB: https://mainstageirving.com/
