By Danielle Kutchel
Casey’s young performers are ready to put on a show with a heartwarming rendition of a much-loved classic.
Masquerade Youth Productions (MYP) is gearing up for its school holiday performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella G2K.
The production will feature all the familiar characters, including the fairy godmother, Cinderella’s evil stepmother and step sisters, and even her beloved animal friends.
The cast has been rehearsing intently over the last few months.
Not even another lockdown could stop them, with the cast shifting to Zoom for a few weeks when in-person rehearsals were cancelled under Covid restrictions.
As the performance dates draw near, the cast moved to a series of day-long intensive rehearsals to run through the whole production.
Musical director Isabella Dymalovski said the production was looking good so far.
“I think we’re still working through a few nerves, but they’re so good at working collaboratively and encouraging each other, it’s really awesome to see,” she said.
The performance will feature a few surprises including Covid-safe waltzing using an improvised household item: mops.
Choreographer Catherine McGregor said the mops would be dressed up on the night and had been a lot of fun to play with.
She said the cast were “like sponges”, absorbing all the dance routines and steps.
The cast comprises performers of different skill levels, but Ms McGregor said they have all been busily waltzing at home to get up to speed with the dances.
Meanwhile, a host of new friendships have formed over the course of the rehearsals – something which is also great to see after a year of Covid-enforced separation.
Director Emily Keagan said MYP had been looking for a “big and lavish” classic to bring to the stage to help the kids get their energy back after the pandemic.
“It’s definitely so much nicer to be in the studio and let the kids interact and have that social time to make friends, that’s such a big part of theatre,” she said.
“I’m really proud of them and their persistence because we’ve had to go online and back and they’ve all been working super hard.”
With just a few days to go now, the cast is putting the final finishing touches on the performance.
Ms Dymalovski said she was confident the show would be perfect by curtain-up.
“I think we all need some joy and excitement back in our lives and it’s going to be a great family-friendly show to bring everybody back to the theatre,” she said.
MYP’s production of Cinderella will open at the Drum Theatre, Dandenong on Saturday 10 July, with performances at 11am and 6pm. A matinee performance will be held on Sunday 11 July at 2pm.
For more information or to book tickets, visit https://www.myproductions.com.au/mypcinderella
