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“Cinderella” tells the classic story of a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters. Cinderella dreams of a better life, and with the help of her Fairy Godmother, finds true love and her happily ever after.
Artisan Children’s Theater is presenting “Cinderella,” June 6 – July 18. It is an interactive children’s theater performed by kids…for kids. The annual season of shows includes nine exciting productions in which audiences get to play a vital part in each story. Artisan Children’s Theater shows are high-energy silliness that hold kid’s attention, teach valuable life lessons and exposes them to live theater in a fun-filled way. From the moment you enter the lobby until the time you say goodbye to the actors of each show, you and your child are guaranteed to have a blast!
Artisan Children’s Theater, part of Artisan Center Theater in Hurst, Texas, is in the same building as the main stage. The 160 seat theater-in-the-round is a slightly smaller space than the main stage, but every bit as magical. They have taken the Rogers and Hammerstein classic and adapted it to a one hour kid-friendly musical. ACT easily rivals Dallas Children’s Theater or Fort Worth’s Casa Kids with it’s level of talent and performances.
The production as a whole was very enjoyable and left me humming the music well into the day after I saw the show. Cinderella (Abi Oxley) left me breathless with the clarity and pitch perfect quality of her voice, as did the Fairy Godmother (Sophie Mings). I was impressed with all of the voices and performances, but these two young ladies really blew me away. Another incredibly well played part was that of the Herald (Cameron Barkley).
Although most Children’s Theater productions at Artisan get the audience children involved in the show, “Cinderella” only involves them at the very end when children are invited to dance at Cinderella and Prince Charming’s wedding. I was afraid that my 8 year old was going to be disappointed by the lack of involvement, but quite the opposite. She was completely engaged throughout the show, and beyond delighted to dance at Cinderella’s wedding!
I would like to see a little more attention given to special effects and stage dressing. Also, perhaps better fitting and more flamboyant dresses for the step sisters and ensemble players. The costuming lacked color and detail. Although I understand that this production is a kinder and gentler version, I would still like to have seen Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters be considerably meaner to her.
Shows are performed on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am, Saturdays at 10am and noon. Shows are quickly selling out. If you have a young person in your life, I highly recommend buying your tickets quickly.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” will be interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing on Thursday, June 18th at 10:00am
