Cinderella is the story of a young girl who goes from a servant girl to a princess. She lives with her stepmother, two stepsisters, and has lots of animal friends. Here at Rio Americano, the Reader’s Theatre cast tells the tale of Cinderfella, where the charming price is replaced with a dorky princess and the young girl is replaced with a young fella.
On October 23rd and 24th, Cinderfella performed during each of the block periods, and then again after school. It is an original play by our very own Kari Miller and is very similar to Cinderella, but with many modern references and plot twists.
The show opens with a conversation between a voice over and Cinderfella. Our narrator then shows us as Cinderfella’s father is poisoned and he is left with his evil stepmother. He is treated unfairly by the humorous and “ugly” stepsisters, and saves one of his mice friends from being eaten by the cat, Lucifer.
The king is in need of a wife for his son at the palace. The prince is very narcissistic and is convinced that no one is as beautiful as him until he sees Cinderfella. Cinderfella’s fairy godmother put him in a dress, so the prince has no idea she is a he.
The show had a great sense of humor and a wonderful use of songs. The reappearing footman, musicians, remixes of classic songs, references to Rio Americano, an old mouse, and many other hysterical elements really brought this show to life.
One other thing that makes this show stand out is the “Reader’s Theatre” style. The actors have no blocking, and tell the story from their seats. Each actor is on a stool with a music stand covering their face. When it’s their turn to speak, their head pops up and they are lit by a spotlight. This creates a great effect onstage and separates this play from ones elsewhere.
In the end, Cinderfella falls in love with the princess. Just about everyone ends up arrested for some reason or another, and Cinderfella ends up as a man with a long beard at the Greyhound Bus Station.
All of the Rio Americano students that worked on this show did a fantastic job, and their hard work did not go unnoticed. The cast and crew put on an amazing show and their dedication payed off. I know I had a great time watching it, and can’t wait to see the next one.