November 8, 1999
Shakespeare Santa Cruz brings favorite fairy tale to the stage
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| Image: Mott Jordan |
This original version is written by local playwright and Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC) veteran actress Kate Hawley.
Hawley has written Cinderella in the British pantomime tradition. Anything but silent, British pantomimes are a form of popular musical traditionally staged at Christmastime in England. The productions are based on traditional fairy tales and feature songs, comedy, and stock characters.
At the heart of "pantos" is a comic character known as "the Dame"
(in this case, Cinderella's stepmother, Mrs. Baden-Rotten). Irascible, irrepressible,
vulgar, and vain, the Dame is always played by a male comedian. Pantos also feature
a good fairy (in this case, Cinderella's godmother) and often a "skin
part"--an actor dressed as an animal (for this production a dancing bear will
fill the role). And, of course, no pantos is complete without a principal boy and
a principal girl.
Several other stock characters will be featured in SSC's Cinderella: Buttons,
Cinderella's loyal friend (who enjoys chatting with the audience); Baron Hardup,
Cinderella's irresponsible father; Dandini, the Prince's confidant; and the cruel
stepsisters.
As in all SSC productions, Cinderella's cast features a mix of professional, local, and UCSC student actors. An original score has been composed for Cinderella. The score is written by longtime SSC composer Gregg Coffin (who also wrote the score for Wind in the Willows and for several SSC summer productions). Cinderella is directed by award-winning Shakespeare Santa Cruz Artistic Director Paul Whitworth.
Cinderella runs from Saturday, November 27, through Sunday, December 12. To receive a brochure contact the UCSC Ticket Office at (831) 459-2159 or visit the SSC Web page at: http://shakespearesantacruz.org/welcome.shtml.
