‘Cinderella the Musical’ on stage this weekend

Bethel’s theatre department is bringing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella the Musical” to life Thursday, Feb. 10 through Saturday, Feb. 12. Stage crew, production and tech teams, and almost 30 cast members have been hard at work since November on one of the biggest productions to grace Everest Rohrer’s stage. Junior Shane Miller is playing his first lead role in a musical. He’s been acting since he was 6 years old and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. “I like to think I act because it’s what I know best,” Miller said. “It’s what I’m comfortable doing. I feel at home when I’m doing it. Everybody has something they absolutely love and why not do what I love for the rest of my life?” Whether sewing costumes or helping with scenery, Miller has invested his time and energy in nearly every aspect of the production. “I feel like it’s kind of my baby,” he affectionately shared. There’s no story without the princess, and the actress filling these glass slippers is sophomore Noelle Perrin. For Perrin, acting is kind of like an escape from everything else in life; it’s a chance to learn lessons by acting them out. Likewise, in the production, Cinderella received many pearls of wisdom from Fairy Godmother (played by Andrea DeLonis) throughout the show, but the most important lesson was to be yourself. “All the other girls kind of change themselves to get Prince Charming,” says Perrin. “But if you just be yourself, he’ll come around and sweep you off your feet.” Amidst the array of colors, costumes and characters, it might be easy to overlook the magic behind the scenes. In the week before the show, rehearsals may last up to six hours with extra time put in to complete the final touches. With only five stage crew members and a show this big, everyone works until “the fat lady sings”. Along the way, senior Greg Fox, the assistant scenic designer and curtain operator, got to sculpt with Styrofoam using a chainsaw. Two giant bushes bear the marks of his handiwork - the larger than life hippo and ostrich shouldn’t be hard to miss at the show. The technical aspects of the show are very demanding and it’s been challenging trying to complete everything by the big day. Whether it’s your first year involved with theater, like freshman Elizabeth Foster, or your fifteenth year, everyone plays a role. Over 3,700 tickets have been sold for the five shows with both Friday night and Saturday afternoon sold out. Area high schools, pre-schools, homeschoolers and more attended Thursday’s matinee performance as well. Here's one last word from Prince Charming: “No matter what you look like, no matter your age, no matter anything, someday your prince will come.”