Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Cinderella

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Aimee
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Joined: 8/31/04
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Topic: Cinderella
Posted: 7/12/05 at 3:54pm

Found out we will be doing Cinderella for our high school fall musical. Any one done this? I have not seen this version (R&H) and just got a copy of the script today. I'm looking for any ideas (good and bad) to see where I need to go with this set (and where NOT to go).

Thanks a bunch!

Aimee

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POB14
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Posted: 7/13/05 at 3:49pm

Haven't seen it staged live - although I grew up watching the Leslie Ann Warren version (and IMDB now reminds me, Ginger Rogers was the Queen and Celeste Holm was the Godmother), and if I recall correctly, it was fairly minimally staged, except possibly for the ball itself. There's a trailer on videodetective.com which does give you an idea of the sets. (Plus lots of closeups of Leslie Ann, which undoubtedly makes me happier than it does you.)

I started to call that version the "original", but apparently there is one a few years older with Julie Andrews. I know nothing about that version.

The remake with Brandy, Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, and Jason Alexander is pretty good too. More lavish settings. I think.

Amazon has all three on DVD if you want to give them a look. Netflix has all 3 for rental as well.

Hope this helps.

POB
Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard

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tristanrobin
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Posted: 7/13/05 at 6:09pm

the Julie Andrews' version was the first - and the dvd that is
now available is very close to the stage version now leased by
R&H Library.

my suggestion is not to skimp on the "magic" - the rags-to-
gown, the 'journey' to the ball in the coach, etc - since it's about
magic ("Impossible!" LOL), if you have limited resources, it's
better to keep the magic alive and the other elements simple.

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Aimee
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Posted: 7/13/05 at 6:41pm

the musical director said he'd like to see the fairy godmother's appearance to look really good....any ideas on that one?

We are doing the vesion with Julie Andrews.

Aimee

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tristanrobin
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Posted: 7/13/05 at 7:08pm

it'll sound hokey - but, LOL, after all it IS "Cinderella" :

The flat that has the window (where you first see the
Godmother) can be a pocket door that slides in front of the flat it
is attached to. Then, when Cinderella goes to the door to let the
Godmother into the house, the Godmother can slide the panel
open, step into the house, and close the door. When Cinderella
turns around because the Godmother isn't outside - there she is
in the house. It's quite effective (albeit obvious) with a lighting
effect, an orchestral 'sting,' and perhaps a flash pot. Because it
is obvious to the audience how the Godmother got in, it allows
them to be 'in on the joke' when Cinderella is astonished by the
Godmother's appearance in the house.

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Thespian_4_ever
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Posted: 3/17/06 at 3:45pm

Watch the Movie

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Linda S
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Posted: 3/18/06 at 8:37am

When we did Cinderella we did similiar things to what Tristanrobin suggested. We had doors that looked like walls etc. Every time there was a magic effect the lights dimmed there was a flash of light and smoke, little music and voila! Magic! We did enlist the help of a local magician. His advice on slight of hand and distracting the audience's attention to get the tricks set up was invaluable.

One thing that we did that worked very well was the transformation of the pumpkin in to the coach. The whole thing came out on a wagon and looked like a pumpkin patch. The biggest pumpkin was the carriage and little pumpkins were wheels. We had realistic (silk) vines that fell over the whole thing. When it transformed the coach men moved a few poles that were behind the pumpkins and attached to vines. It turned into a coach with beautiful vine canopy and gorgeous gold wheels in seconds. It even had a battery and the whole thing was lit up with twinkle lights.

This show was a huge success with the kids in our area. They all wanted to have their pictures taken with Cinderella and the Prince after the show.

Linda

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Gaafa
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Posted: 3/19/06 at 2:36am

I have never done or seen Cinderella as a play with music, only as a Panto! Which is quite different. As there is always the traditional Dame & the Ugly Sisters , who are male & the Prince is a leggy female as the Principal Boy!
Also with the audience participation of "He?s behind you!"
As for the Fairy God Mother, we used a transposition scrim as the Cinders kitchen stove or wall.
Using lighting to have the Godmother appear & disappear, during shouts from the audience, as cinders is alerted to her appearance. Of "She?s behind you" as Cinders tries in vain to see her through the wall & keeps asking the punters "where is she"!
The God mother than steps on stage behind Cinders as she turns her back!
The ?Behind you? bit is usually reserved for ?Buttons? & the ?Villain?.

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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theatremonkey
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Posted: 9/13/08 at 10:37pm

When my childrens theatre did this show we did something that I thought was atrocious. We had a body double in the window acting like she had been trying to get in through there but got stuck and then cinderella saw her and the body double flinged the magic wand and the real fairy godmother appeared behinfd the couch. i know this is not what the script says but i thought you may find it interesting

theatre monkey

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drose
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Joined: 8/23/07
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Posted: 9/14/08 at 2:08am

We did Cinderella last summer and really enjoyed it. The script is weak, but it is 10 times better that either the Julie Andrews or the Leslie Ann Warren versions. The Brandy version was fun, but deviated greatly from the RnH script in dialogue and song.

I agree with what others are saying. Don't scrimp on the magic. We also had some fun with marketing. We had one of the stepsisters (in costume) deliver "wedding invitations" to the press inviting them to Cinderella and the Prince's wedding. The two major papers in town also got blue cardboard chests (dollar store) filled with with a miniature bottle of champagne, a glass slipper (plastic-wedding decoration), a godiva chocolate bar, some wedding mints, and a "scroll" tied with gold ribbon (contained show info, bios, and press release). The stepsister delivered it in character...and the press loved it!

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Author	Message
Aimee Celebrity Joined: 8/31/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 156	Topic: Cinderella Posted: 7/12/05 at 3:54pm
	Found out we will be doing Cinderella for our high school fall musical. Any one done this? I have not seen this version (R&H) and just got a copy of the script today. I'm looking for any ideas (good and bad) to see where I need to go with this set (and where NOT to go). Thanks a bunch! Aimee
	Aimee

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POB14 Celebrity Joined: 7/01/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 349	Posted: 7/13/05 at 3:49pm
	Haven't seen it staged live - although I grew up watching the Leslie Ann Warren version (and IMDB now reminds me, Ginger Rogers was the Queen and Celeste Holm was the Godmother), and if I recall correctly, it was fairly minimally staged, except possibly for the ball itself. There's a trailer on videodetective.com which does give you an idea of the sets. (Plus lots of closeups of Leslie Ann, which undoubtedly makes me happier than it does you.) I started to call that version the "original", but apparently there is one a few years older with Julie Andrews. I know nothing about that version. The remake with Brandy, Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, and Jason Alexander is pretty good too. More lavish settings. I think. Amazon has all three on DVD if you want to give them a look. Netflix has all 3 for rental as well. Hope this helps.
	POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard
	IP Logged

tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 7/13/05 at 6:09pm
	the Julie Andrews' version was the first - and the dvd that is now available is very close to the stage version now leased by R&H Library. my suggestion is not to skimp on the "magic" - the rags-to- gown, the 'journey' to the ball in the coach, etc - since it's about magic ("Impossible!" LOL), if you have limited resources, it's better to keep the magic alive and the other elements simple.
	IP Logged

Aimee Celebrity Joined: 8/31/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 156	Posted: 7/13/05 at 6:41pm
	the musical director said he'd like to see the fairy godmother's appearance to look really good....any ideas on that one? We are doing the vesion with Julie Andrews.
	Aimee
	IP Logged

tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 7/13/05 at 7:08pm
	it'll sound hokey - but, LOL, after all it IS "Cinderella" : The flat that has the window (where you first see the Godmother) can be a pocket door that slides in front of the flat it is attached to. Then, when Cinderella goes to the door to let the Godmother into the house, the Godmother can slide the panel open, step into the house, and close the door. When Cinderella turns around because the Godmother isn't outside - there she is in the house. It's quite effective (albeit obvious) with a lighting effect, an orchestral 'sting,' and perhaps a flash pot. Because it is obvious to the audience how the Godmother got in, it allows them to be 'in on the joke' when Cinderella is astonished by the Godmother's appearance in the house.
	IP Logged

Thespian_4_ever Lead Joined: 9/16/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 43	Posted: 3/17/06 at 3:45pm
	Watch the Movie
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Linda S Celebrity Joined: 4/16/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 312	Posted: 3/18/06 at 8:37am
	When we did Cinderella we did similiar things to what Tristanrobin suggested. We had doors that looked like walls etc. Every time there was a magic effect the lights dimmed there was a flash of light and smoke, little music and voila! Magic! We did enlist the help of a local magician. His advice on slight of hand and distracting the audience's attention to get the tricks set up was invaluable. One thing that we did that worked very well was the transformation of the pumpkin in to the coach. The whole thing came out on a wagon and looked like a pumpkin patch. The biggest pumpkin was the carriage and little pumpkins were wheels. We had realistic (silk) vines that fell over the whole thing. When it transformed the coach men moved a few poles that were behind the pumpkins and attached to vines. It turned into a coach with beautiful vine canopy and gorgeous gold wheels in seconds. It even had a battery and the whole thing was lit up with twinkle lights. This show was a huge success with the kids in our area. They all wanted to have their pictures taken with Cinderella and the Prince after the show. Linda
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 3/19/06 at 2:36am
	I have never done or seen Cinderella as a play with music, only as a Panto! Which is quite different. As there is always the traditional Dame & the Ugly Sisters , who are male & the Prince is a leggy female as the Principal Boy! Also with the audience participation of "He?s behind you!" As for the Fairy God Mother, we used a transposition scrim as the Cinders kitchen stove or wall. Using lighting to have the Godmother appear & disappear, during shouts from the audience, as cinders is alerted to her appearance. Of "She?s behind you" as Cinders tries in vain to see her through the wall & keeps asking the punters "where is she"! The God mother than steps on stage behind Cinders as she turns her back! The ?Behind you? bit is usually reserved for ?Buttons? & the ?Villain?.
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

theatremonkey Lead Joined: 6/04/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 35	Posted: 9/13/08 at 10:37pm
	When my childrens theatre did this show we did something that I thought was atrocious. We had a body double in the window acting like she had been trying to get in through there but got stuck and then cinderella saw her and the body double flinged the magic wand and the real fairy godmother appeared behinfd the couch. i know this is not what the script says but i thought you may find it interesting
	theatre monkey
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drose Celebrity Joined: 8/23/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 162	Posted: 9/14/08 at 2:08am
	We did Cinderella last summer and really enjoyed it. The script is weak, but it is 10 times better that either the Julie Andrews or the Leslie Ann Warren versions. The Brandy version was fun, but deviated greatly from the RnH script in dialogue and song. I agree with what others are saying. Don't scrimp on the magic. We also had some fun with marketing. We had one of the stepsisters (in costume) deliver "wedding invitations" to the press inviting them to Cinderella and the Prince's wedding. The two major papers in town also got blue cardboard chests (dollar store) filled with with a miniature bottle of champagne, a glass slipper (plastic-wedding decoration), a godiva chocolate bar, some wedding mints, and a "scroll" tied with gold ribbon (contained show info, bios, and press release). The stepsister delivered it in character...and the press loved it!
	IP Logged

Topic: Cinderella( Topic Closed)
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