More Details About Cinderella
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The family musical classic, Cinderella, takes Olney’s New Mainstage for seven enchanted weeks. Wicked stepsisters, a pumpkin coach, a midnight curfew, and all standard hallmarks of this beloved fairytale are in place, with a few magical modifications from stage director Mark Waldrop.
Waldrop directed Cinderella twelve years ago for the Olney stage. “It is the most favorite thing I have directed. Cinderella is one of the most durable shows in the world. But, in recent times, I feel that the core of the story has been lost…I wanted to freshen up the comedy of the show, but stay true to the heart of Hammerstein’s original intent: the importance of imagination.”
So, Waldrop went to work. He read through all three television versions and many stage adaptations, compiled many versions; pieced parts of them together, and with a few months of writing, came up with the “Olney” version. He then submitted it to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s company for review, and it was added to the approved versions of the show.
What’s different? Waldrop added a new song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein collection (“The Loneliness of Evening” was originally written and then cut from South Pacific); increased the comedy for the stepsisters, Stepmother, and Prince; made Cinderella an expressive dreamer; and made the spunky Fairy Godmother the central storyteller.
Olney is thrilled to premiere this new version to dreamers of all ages just in time for the holiday season. Leading the elegant and clever score that includes “Impossible,” “In My Own Little Corner,” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” is Music Director Christopher Youstra who returns to Olney where his credits include
Oliver!, Oh, Coward!, and Anything Goes. Wearing the glass slippers in the production is Helen Hayes Award-winner for Outstanding Actress, Erin Driscoll (who last appeared at Olney as Bonnie in Anything Goes). But Driscoll will not be playing your average Cinderella. Waldrop has increased Cinderella’s “rambunctiousness” over previous versions. She is more direct, curious, and inspired. “She does not take a back seat to the Fairy Godmother’s magic,” says Waldrop, “in fact, in this version, she alone comes up with the idea of the pumpkin coach and turning the mice into men. Cinderella is the brains behind it.”
Cinderella was originally created for television in 1957 by Rodgers and Hammerstein who adapted it from a classic fairytale. When it was later re-adapted for the stage, Cinderella became an instant success and has captivated audiences ever since. Now more popular than ever, there have been two more television versions, more than 150 stage adaptations to date, and more movie spin-offs than one can count (Pretty Woman and Legally Blonde, to name a few)!
Olney Theatre Center
Located just north of Washington, D.C. in arts-rich Montgomery County, Maryland, Olney Theatre Center for the Arts offers a diverse array of professional productions year-round that enrich, nurture and challenge a broad range of artists, audiences and students. One of two state theaters of Maryland, OTC is situated on 14 acres in the heart of the beautiful Washington-Baltimore-Frederick "triangle," within easy access of all three cities.
An award-winning regional theater, Olney Theatre Center operates under an Actors' Equity Association Council of Stock Theaters (COST) contract, one of only three theaters in the country to operate under such a contract.
In addition to its mainstage season, which emphasizes 20th-century American classics, new works, area premieres, reinterpretations of classics and musical theater, OTC offers a wide range of programs and affiliations including: National Players, America's longest running classical touring company (since 1949), which performs for high school and college audiences in over 25 states; Potomac Theatre Project, which offers experimental and alternative plays that explore provocative and challenging human situations, ideas and visions; special school performances of mainstage shows; a free Summer Shakespeare Festival; and post-show discussions.
