Christian Youth Theatre "Cinderella" review by robyndowning

CYT North Cinderella at Youthfront Auditorium

Rating: 2

Cinderella 

Christian Youth Theater

I would have to give the kids a "B" for effort but I was rather disappointed in the overall production. CYT in Kansas City (3 different areas) has put on some very good shows but this wasn't one of the highlights.

I know that it is very common to use cd's for background music when you either don't have any money to pay a pit band or you can't find musicians that are willing to help out a show for free. I have decided that I really do not like canned or taped music because it just doesn't allow for the freedom of a performance creativity. The taped music used sounded like it was "midi" a good portion of the time. Not really acceptable in offering good musical support for the singers.

Like any other theater organization you cast a show with those that audition. Some of the performers did a good job with characterization and others were quite lacking. Musical and vocal talent was all over the place.

Leads:

Hannah Beck (Cinderella) had a charming voice and sweet speaking voice and did a good job as the young woman wanting to get out of the unhappy home life.

Derick Petersohn (Prince) has a natural tenor voice that suited the songs well. He seemed comfortable on stage although his character was portrayed in more of a comedic fashion.

Bethany Fay (Fairy Godmother) was the perfect choice to play the person that shows Cinderella a way to step outside her normal life. She was, by far, the strongest performer acting and vocal-wise.

Diandra Petersohn (Stepmother), Anna Burden (Grace) and Ramsey Self (Joy) rounded out the demanding family that Cinderella lived with and served to the best of her ability. The stepsisters offered comic relief that was fun to watch and welcome. Ramsey Self really was fearless as far as staying in character and offering more physical humor in how she spoke and walked. The speaking voice of the stepmother seemed stilted in delivery and there wasn't much facial expression. One expects Cinderella's stepmother to favor her own girls but there wasn't much difference in how she treated them.

Devin Sullins (King) and Mariah Boothe (Queen) were the parents who organized a ball to find a wife for their son. There was some cute dialog and witty reactions by the queen but singing wasn't the strong point of the king. He did hold his own on stage though.

Michael Reiser (Lionel/the herald) and Lucas Dorrell (Batholomew) were fun to watch although there seemed too much slapstick focused on them that didn't have anything to do with the show.

The group of dancers were strong although I didn't feel that including Charleston moves did anything to keep the time period in the forefront.

The group had a fair amount of trouble keeping on beat and staying in tune throughout the show. Some of the harmonies were lovely and some were painful to hear.

Costumes seemed out of place in some scenes. This is supposed to be 1600's or 1700's and there were costumes that would have worked better in "Annie" and the 1930's. It would have been lovely if the costumes were fancier for the ball.

Lighting could have been more focused and there was a need for spotlight usage and turning down the lights on the sides so that your attention was drawn to those whose scene it was. There wasn't anything showing "magic" with the fairy godmother (other than the opening scene where she blows fairy dust) to being the show. Using a mirror ball during the transformation scenes would have helped. I missed the magic wand to complete the characterization.

With everything said the kids seemed to enjoy themselves and you don't have to worry about anything not being family-friendly.

The show continues tonight (Friday/April 30th) at 7pm at Youthfront on Rainbow Blvd. down the street from KC Medical Center. There are two shows on Saturday (May 1st) at 2pm and 7pm. Ticket prices at the door are $10 each.

read the review at KC Stage