Rainbow’s ‘Cinderella’ finds right tone

It's tough to do a straight-faced "Cinderella" these days. Parents don't seem all that interested in teaching their daughters that a handsome prince will one day make them happy. Or that stepmothers are evil. So it's no surprise that Rainbow Company's musical version is a humorous take-off on the original story. What is surprising is how funny this umpteenth version is.

Authors Joe McDonough, Fitz Patton and David Kisor give us a bookworm heroine (Kayla Royster) who loves to read while wearing tennis shoes. Everyone else is into glass slippers, which are the rage.

Prince Freddy (Tim Heidorn) isn't looking forward to the ball being planned by Dad (Michael Button). Winds up he's a bookworm, too. That doesn't stop the batty stepmother (Enola Mutch) and her two vain daughters, Clarissa (Kendra Arado) and Priscilla (Haley Severance), from trying to win the man. Despite their best efforts, the prince's eye is caught by a woman in a white gown and tennis shoes.

This being Rainbow Company, the power of the production lies in Toni Molloy-Tudor's gift for inventive stage storytelling, and in the performance talent. It's fun to watch how Molloy-Tudor and costume designer Victoria Shaffer manage to suggest a crow (Ameena Ahmed), a toad (Joel Rudd) and a spider (Joey Hines). J Neal's set is a series of lightly colored platforms topped off by lights that have a Christmas feel and glitter that suggests the magic of the environment. Jody Caley's lighting brings an understated elegance to the happenings and complements Shaffer's colorful wardrobes.

Sierra Stenzel offers a particularly effective Kristin Chenoweth impression as Gwendolyn, the Well Wisher (no good fairies here). Mutch is a hilarious stepmother, particularly when she ditches her daughters and attempts to snare the prince for herself. And the consistently skillful, sensitive singing, along with Joseph Cottone's 10-member orchestra, get a lot of mileage out of an adequate score that is a bit "Wizard of Oz," a tad "Tommy," and a lot "Wicked."

Most importantly, the director and cast have captured the right tone for this self-mocking script. No one goes overboard on the silliness, and there's genuine romance at the heart of the evening.

One reservation: The script has both Cinderella and the prince giving up their glasses in an effort to become more attractive. Fie on the authors for suggesting to the children in the audience that wearing glasses compromises their appearance. Gwendolyn the Well Wisher makes a terrible error in judgment on this one.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.