By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
The curtain rises tonight on the fancy ball as Kilauea Drama & Entertainment Network celebrates its 10th year of summer musicals with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s adaptation of the timeless fairy tale “Cinderella.”
The show runs through July 29, with curtain times on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. at the Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Tickets are $15 general, $12 students and seniors and $10 children under 12, available at Kilauea General Store, Kea‘au Natural Foods, Paradise Plants and The Most Irresistible Shop. Call 982-7344 for reservations and more information.
The original television presentation in 1957 with Julie Andrews in the title role garnered an estimated 100 million viewers. A 1965 recreation starring Lesley Ann Warren was also a success, as was a 1997 remake with Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother. Songs include “In My Own Little Corner” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful.”
Rachel Edwards, a University of Hawaii at Hilo student and member of the school’s elite Kapili Choir, will play Cinderella.
“This is basically her first show,” said director Suzi Bond. “She has a beautiful singing voice and she has a fresh innocence I was looking for in the portrayal of Cinderella.”
Veteran actor-singer-musician Pedro Ka‘awaloa doubles as the show’s musical director and handsome Prince Christopher.
“He’s just amazing; I don’t know what else to say. I just love working with him,” Bond said. “He really draws so much out of the cast as a whole getting the sound that he wants.”
Also doing double duty is Helie Rock, who plays the fairy godmother and serves as costumer.
“She’s sewed the costumes for Cinderella, the stepmother, the stepsisters, the king,” Bond says. “She’s just awesome. … We’ve got over 100 costumes in this show and we’ve spent less than $200.”
Bond described Erin Gallagher as “fabulous” playing the wicked stepmother, and called Stephanie Becher and Cristina Hussey, who portray the evil stepsisters as “brilliant comedic actresses.”
“When they do “A Lovely Night” and “Why Would a Fellow Want a Girl Like Her? (‘Stepsisters’ Lament’)” the cast just roars,” she says. “They’ve seen it a number of times now and they’re still laughing at it.”
Real-life husband and wife Dick Hershberger and Arlene Araki play the king and queen. Byron Karr is the herald and Roch Jones is the town crier. Stephen Bond and Lawrence Mano are the steward and chef and lead dancers with Angie Jara and Briana Tucker-Archie. Other cast members are: Kameron and Sawyer Becher, Clara, Julia and Louisa Cellini, Jessie Coney, Allison Cornett, Dan “Kana” Covington, Austin and Madison Directo, Nathan Ducasse, RaVani Flood, Ella Johnson, Katie Kluzak, Elizabeth and Kathy Mulliken, Dawn and Kyle Pelletier, Asia Ring, Teagan Rutkowski, Makayla Tucker-Archie, Emily Tsuji, and Esther Zamora.
Carmen Richardson is the choreographer, bringing to life the ball on what Bond called “a postage stamp” of a stage.
“She’s got 30 people on that stage all waltzing — and not just waltzing in a circle, but waltzing in formations, going from small circle to small circle inside a big circle, to lines, back to circles,” Bond said. “It’s just awesome.”
Armando Mendoza is conducting the 22-piece orchestra, as Bond described it, “a mix of professionals and high school students.”
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for these high school kids to play in an orchestra next to professionals like Hawaii County Band members,” she said.
According to Bond, KDEN is producing Cinderella is “to get families involved,” as cast members and in the audience.
“The real payoff is to broaden our audience, to get kids to see live theater. If they see one show, hopefully, they’ll come back to see another,” she said.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
