Hannah Wyrick and Nickie Dean Callendar in Quad City Music Guild's “Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" at the Prospect Park Auditorium -- July 8 through 17.
Friday, July 8, through Sunday, July 17
Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL
A glorious stage fairytale boasting a legendary score by an iconic composing duo, the Tony-winning Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella will be presented by Quad City Music Guild July 8 through 17, this beloved classic with its fresh new script by Douglas Carter Beane an entertainment, according to the Associated Press, that "crackles with sweetness and freshness, combining a little Monty Python's Spamalot with some Les Misérables."
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s enchanting adaptation of the timeless fairytale, Cinderella was their only musical originally composed for television. When the television program, starring Julie Andrews as Cinderella, first aired in 1957, it was, at the time, the most widely viewed TV presentation in the history of the medium. Since then, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella has continued to charm audiences in productions on stage and on television, with Music Guild's production the Broadway version that received nine Tony Award nominations (winning for Costume Design) in 2013. Based upon the classic fairy tale, and particularly the French version Cendrillon ou la Petite Pantoufle de Verre, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s adaptation brings new life to the story of a young woman forced into servitude who dreams of – and achieves – a better life. Cinderella features some of its composing duo's most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible,” and “Ten Minutes Ago," and has earned numerous critical raves, with USA Today stating that the musical "will charm theatergoers of all ages."
Directing and set designing Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella is Quad City Music Guild favorite Harold Truitt, a longtime veteran of the organization who has appeared many times on-stage and helmed such previous Music Guild productions as A Chorus Line, The Music Man, and Grease. In her Music Guild debut, Cinderella is portrayed by Hannah Wirick, recently seen in Augustana College's The Threepenny Opera, with another newcomer to the company – Nickie Dean Callendar – cast as her Prince. Additional roles are assumed by Maddie Baez, Marissa Elliot, Gregory Graff, Linda McGraw, Joseph Nguyen, Sam Whan, and Katherine Kerull, with the show's youth ensemble composed of Levi Bacon, Peyton Beck, Isla Bybee, Cameron Byer, Pratima Khatri, Evelyn Olson, and Mia Roman.
Cinderella's bass ensemble features Michael Lotspeich, Conner McDonnell, Greg O’Neill, Jay Raykus, Pat Rynott, Daniel Smith, and Ian Snider, while the tremble ensemble boasts Molly Ahern, Sarah Anderson, Madison Crumblehome, Denise Durbin, Olinda Gunther, Peggy Hamilton, Emily Hansen, Mia Roldan, Yvonne Siddique, Jenna VanHoosier, Victoria Vavrosky, Fano Vonjimalala, and Amelia Ward.
Amy Ahern, meanwhile, serves as Truitt's assistant director, with Mark Swessinger and Curtis Fischer-Oelschlaeger assuming duties as the show's music director and assistant music director, respectively. And with Cinderellas's choreography by Carolyn Frieden, other members of the show's creative team include stage manager Corrine Brown; costume designer Cindy Monroe; lighting designer Sam Maynard; sound designer Ryan Mandle; props designer Chris Castle; makeup designer Sue Cates; and producer Sheri Olson.
Quad City Music Guild's Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella runs at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium July 8 through 17, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $11-16, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
