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Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park extends its season

Musical lovers will have until Aug. 25 to catch Cinderella and 42nd Street
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Cinderella and 42nd Street, presented by Theatre Under the Stars at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl, running until Aug. 25. Shows: 8 p.m. (tuts.ca)

Rodgers and Hammerstein likely never imagined that the stars in their shows might one day be outshined by the stars in the sky, but as the saying goes, that’s showbiz.

Due to popular demand, this season’s iteration of Theatre Under the Stars has been extended to Aug. 25. This means that eager theatre lovers and musical enthusiasts of all stripes will have an extra week to catch the magic and romance of two separate productions, 42nd Street and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, both showing in the outdoor splendour of Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl.

“I know audiences have really, really been enjoying it,” says Leah Newson, a North Vancouver resident and the assistant choreographer on Cinderella.

“I know when people go and see it it’s a little bit of a change from the Disney version. It’s been updated and the character of Cinderella is a little bit more independent and powerful and she kind of decides her own fate in this one. I think it’s refreshing for people.”

Generations of hopeless romantics and those intrigued by fiery sibling relationships have always been drawn to Cinderella and its story of true love in the face of wickedness, whether it’s in Disney’s beloved animated version, in the form of a play or a musical, or, for the French literature inclined, by poring through Charles Perrault’s seminal 17th century French version, called Cendrillon.

For Rodgers and Hammerstein, the way into telling Cinderella’s enchanting story of unjust opposition, love’s triumph, and pumpkin carriage shape-shifting magic was through the small screen.

It was the 1950s and the almighty television reigned supreme upon the North American family. Rodgers and Hammerstein, not immune to market demand when it came to the fateful pairing of musicals with television, were approached by broadcasters that implored them to create an original TV musical. The duo’s version of Cinderella was first broadcast in 1957, starring Julie Andrews and Jon Cypher.

And while Theatre Under the Stars’ version of Cinderella the musical draws from that original Rodgers and Hammerstein source text, it replaces the glow of the television screen with the majesty of the night sky and open air.

“It’s still Cinderella and her fairy godmother and the prince and the ball at midnight and the pumpkin turns into the carriage – it’s all the stuff that people still love,” Newson notes, adding that director Sarah Rodgers’ take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein show retains the musical’s melodic punch while making the character of Cinderella less of a victim of circumstance and more a master of her own agency as the play progresses.

“In the first act, Cinderella’s shoe falls off on the steps leading to the palace and she actually runs and she grabs it and she takes it off stage,” Newson says, noting that the move generally confounds audience expectations and seemingly throws for a loop one of the story’s key plot points.

 “There’s a little bit of confusion and the prince calls after her. In Act 2, the same kind of thing happens: she runs out of the palace and runs down the stairs and then she takes her shoe off herself and she puts it on the stairs and she looks and she laughs.

“She’s given him the key to come find her, which is one of my favourite moments just because it shows Cinderella’s strength and that she is deciding what her destiny’s going to be.”

This season of Theatre Under the Stars marks Newson’s second year as part of the production company, who got a bump up to assistant choreographer after performing in last year’s production of Mary Poppins, where she danced with the ensemble and was the captain of that unit.

A graduate of Capilano University’s reputable musical theatre program and a lifelong dancer, Newson says it’s important to get a total feel for a production before setting off in a choreographic direction.

“For me, I find hearing the music and actually knowing what kind of costumes are going to be (in the production), that really aids in the kind of style of dance that you’re going to do,” she says.

Newson’s ultimate goal in theatre, she adds, is to eventually start doing more directing and writing, though while she continues to climb the theatrical ladder she’s thrilled to put her dancing and choreography chops to good use in Cinderella.

“The music is very grand and so in our ball it’s a lot of like beautiful lifts and turns, and it’s all very sweeping. It’s the whole idea that midnight is coming for Cinderella, so there’s also a bit of urgency in it,” she says.

“Time is moving quickly and Cinderella’s not getting the opportunity to stay with the prince.”

Some things, however, never change. Luckily for us we all know how this story ends.