Lyric Stage kicked off its 30th season with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Thursday at the Majestic. The musical was a strong launch for a landmark season for the company. And while indeed family-friendly, the show was entertaining for adults througy some smart humor and clever winks and nods by the cast.
In the title role, Rachel Nicole Poole continued her streak of knockout lead performances. A gorgeous voice delivered the showtunes with crystal emotive clarity. She gave the character an earnestness that was tender but never played her with any naivete. As Prince
Lyric Stage kicked off its 30th season with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Thursday at the Majestic Theatre. The musical was a strong start to a landmark season for the company. While indeed family-friendly, the show was also entertaining for adults through some clever humor and winks and nods by the cast.
In the title role, Rachel Nicole Poole continued her streak of knockout lead performances. Her gorgeous voice delivered the showtunes with crystal-clear emotion. She gave the character an earnestness that was tender but never played her with any naivete. As Prince Topher, Sadat Hossain was an equal match for Poole’s range. His voice had such strength for big runs, but he also had the charm and humor to give his character nice layers.
BJ Cleveland knew how to take his dialogue and turn it into something else altogether. As the prince’s advisor Sebastian, Cleveland could twist a line with simple inflection to be hilarious or devious, and with such flair. Essentially Sebastian’s counterpart was Madam, Cinderella’s somewhat wicked stepmother. Julia Rose Hartman was deliciously mean without resorting to caricature.
As the stepsisters Charlotte and Gabrielle, Tara Park and Elise Mendoza were wondrous fun. Park camped up the bratty Charlotte with hilarious results, and Mendoza’s gangly Gabrielle was delightful. Ryan Michael Friedman, as the antsy revolutionary Jean-Michel, delivered a strong physical performance with just-right comedy, and Jonah Munroe shone with a gorgeous singing voice as Lord Pinkleton. As the fairy godmother, Sydney Cornelius was majestic.
The show was at times perplexing—and for a fairy tale, no less. While the cast was often in full color, the expansive set was muted and rather understated for such a grand story. Costuming was also confusing, mostly for Marie, the fairy godmother, who radiated more glamour than magic. Cinderella’s dresses were gorgeous, and the costume changes were quite clever, but similarly to Marie, they didn’t quite match the tone of Ella’s story.
But the talents that were onstage at Thursday night’s preview were proof of the quality of performers right here in DFW. Remarkable voices, skillful dancers, and actors hitting both dramatic and comedic notes were all in this perfect storm of a musical directed by Penny Ayn Moss. Cinderella lagged a bit in the second act, but as a whole, the show will make audiences believe in the magic of strong talent.
Cinderella runs through Sunday.
–Rich Lopez