As previously reported, Hair's Annie Golden — most recently on Broadway in The Full Monty — will play the Fairy Godmother in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which will be presented at the Massachusetts theatre July 5-24. She will be joined onstage by Sara Schmidt (Cinderella), Nicholas Rodriguez (Prince), Lisa McMillan (Stepmother), Laura Jordan (Portia), Jennifer Cody (Joy), David Coffee (King) and Terry Burrell (King).
The ensemble comprises Tabb, Kristen Calgaro, Rob Flebbe, Debbi Fuhrman, Paul J. Gallagher, Constantine Germanacos, Kathleen Hatch, Rashad Naylor, Karyn Overstreet, Katie Rayle, Megan Reinking, Gregory Sheppard and Carmen Youth. The company will also feature a Youth Ensemble that showcases local young artists, including Natasha Ashworth, Bernard Baldassaro, Andrew Barbato, Bethani Boccia, John F. Breen, Chantal Desjardins, Sofia Diskes, Katy Geraghty, Gwyn Higgins, Andrew Murdock, Simone Senibaldi, Ari Shaps, Emily Sheeran and Devin Sorkin.
The North Shore production will feature "dazzling special effects" and is based on the 1957 television special starring Julie Andrews in the title role. The Cinderella creative team includes Greg Ganakas (director), Karen Azenberg (choreographer), Dex Edwards (scenic designer), Gail Baldoni (costume designer), Martin E. Vreeland (lighting designer), John A. Stone (sound designer) and Gerard Kelly (hair and wig designer).
Featuring music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella is based on the aforementioned television special. Directed by Ralph Nelson, the "Cinderella" TV broadcast originally aired on CBS March 31, 1957. The program drew more than 107 million viewers. The cast featured Julie Andrews as Cinderella, Howard Lindsay as the King, Dorothy Stickney as the Queen, Ilka Chase as the Stepmother, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley as the Stepsisters, Edie Adams as the Fairy Godmother, Jon Cypher as Prince Christopher, Robert Penn as Town Crier, Alexander Clark as the Captain of the Guard, Iggie Wolfington as the Chef and David F. Perkins as the Court Tailor. Lesley Ann Warren (1965) and pop singer Brandy (1997) starred as Cinderella in the subsequent TV versions.
Song titles from "Cinderella" include "The Prince Is Giving a Ball," "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "It's Possible," "Gavotte," "Ten Minutes Ago I Saw You," "Stepsisters' Lament," "Waltz for a Ball," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?," "When You're Driving Through the Moonlight," "A Lovely Night" and "The Search." The North Shore Music Theatre is located at 62 Dunham Road in Beverly, MA. For subscription pricing and information, log onto www.nsmt.org or call (978) 232-7200.
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The North Shore is currently presenting Fame: The Musical through June 19.
