Not Your Grandmother’s Cinderella
AHS Drama Guild to Put On Cinderella as Fall Musical
Harry Guo and Brandon Nguyen
STAFF WRITERS
Andover High School’s fall musical, Cinderella, brings a fresh look to the classic tale. The production plans to offer new interpretations of its characters, story, and message.
This year’s fall musical may not be the Cinderella story one would expect. Unlike the classic Disney Cinderella, AHS drama director Susan Choquette has decided to put on the 2013 Broadway version by Douglas Carter Beane, with a score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. In this retelling of the classic tale, the plot becomes much more modernized and comical while also giving characters more substance and touching on themes of leadership and equality.
According to Aislinn Cantin, a senior and the actress playing Cinderella in the play, the new Cinderella is more confident and three-dimensional, not just someone waiting around to be saved by a prince. “For a lot of Andover High School [students], this is a new experience for them to see this type of show,” said Cantin. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but I’m having a really fun time and it’s really exciting to see everything come together… I think it could be really amazing.”
The cast and crew are ready to take up the challenge as they break old stereotypes the initial story had set for them. James Wong, a senior and the male lead in the play, described the characters as more in-depth and less stereotypical. His character, Prince Topher, is given more personality as the plot explores his role as the kingdom’s leader. “It allows for so much interpretation, for both the artist and the audience,” said Wong. “I could play a role in one way… and it could be received by an audience member in a very unique and different way.”
With many talented students and one of the largest numbers of students involved in a production, Choquette needed to find a way to offer more opportunities, which was one of the reasons why she chose this version of Cinderella. There’s an expansion of more featured roles, and the peasants even have a subplot where they raise their voices in protest against a dictatorial government and have an uprising. “We poke fun at lots of things, so keep an open mind about that,” said Choquette. “It’s the same tale at the end of the day, but it’s told in a different way that gives the audience a little more credit.”
Junyi Ye, a freshman and member of both the cast and stage crew, said the plot “gives [the play] more meaning than just an everyday love story between a prince and a princess. [It] relates to the actual living of lower-class people.”
Still, there is a sense of familiarity with the original Cinderella. The score from Rodgers and Hammerstein has been kept mostly untouched. Elise Yen, a freshman and pit musician for the play, said that they are “trying to play everything at the original speed [and] play it as written 60 years ago.”
Ultimately, Choquette is looking to bring new experiences to both the cast and the audience. She chose to put on a children’s musical like Cinderella to give students a variety of shows in their high school years, as the last time AHS put on a similar show was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 2014. This performance may be new for some, and Choquette hopes the audience will be able to have fun with the script and enjoy a more contemporary interpretation. “I hope that those who are a part of the drama guild as well as the audience feel like we’re making great art,” Choquette concluded.
Tickets will be sold at the door or online at the Andover Theatre Arts website. Be sure to come watch Cinderella during these dates:
- Thursday, November 17 – 7:30p
- Friday, November 18 – 7:30p
- Saturday, November 19 – 7:30p
- Sunday, November 20 – 2:00p
- Tuesday, November 22 – 7:30p
