items tagged with Cinderella

There were two particular elements that made Ballet Quad Cities’ Cinderella (which ran for two Adler Theatre performances on April 20) especially watchable beyond Courtney Lyon’s exquisite choreography: clear storytelling, and humor. Not at one moment during Saturday evening’s performance did I find it hard to figure out which part of the fairytale was being depicted in dance, even down to the details of what specific characters were doing and feeling at all times.

Leaving Friday’s Countryside Community Theatre performance of Singin' in the Rain, I overheard one woman say to another, “Well, that was a different take on it.” Actually, I would love to see a different take on this classic musical written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown. But director/choreographer Christina Myatt’s production is, instead, an homage to the original film with only-slightly-adjusted re-creations of Gene Kelly's original choreography, yet one boasting just enough beautiful, original touches to avoid direct mimicry of the movie.

The Reader's chief theatre reviewer, Thom White, saw and wrote about 52 area stage productions in 2011. I saw 39 and reviewed 12. Obviously, during our second-annual breakfast chat on the Year in Theatre, there was a bit to talk about.

There are so many delightful distractions in Quad City Music Guild’s Cinderella that, during Thursday night’s preview performance, I kept getting lost in the scenery. And then the costumes. And then the vocals. And then the scenery... .

In the 11-week period between June 1 and August 12, I saw 28 area productions. And how did you spend your summer vacation?

Considering the overall great time I had last summer, though, I was hardly dreading this relentless schedule. I'd spent 10 whole months eagerly anticipating my return to the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (CAST), Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, and - for Genesius Guild productions - Rock Island's Lincoln Park; the summer-theatre triad would be responsible for 17 of those 28 offerings. (Summer 2006 would also provide my introduction to Eldridge's Countryside Community Players, whose Cinderella I missed last year.)