The Varley Players brought the fairy-tale magic of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” to the Byram Hills High School stage in four dazzling performances.
The musical was based on the 2013 award-winning Broadway adaptation of “Cinderella.” The modern version tells the classic tale with a modern twist about transformation through magic, along with kindness and courage.
Despite losing crucial technical rehearsal time because of winter weather, the students pulled together as a theater community to put on an amazing show, said director Dr. Douglas Coates, the Byram Hills chorus and theater teacher.
“Congratulations to our talented cast and crew members, whose extraordinary commitment and dedication led to this phenomenal production,” he said. “They all went above and beyond to make the magic happen. The show went off flawlessly.”
The actors practiced a lot on their own, which strengthened their performances, Dr. Coates said. They sang with the stamina required for the score, seamlessly blending vocal technique and authentic acting, and incorporated their characters into the choreography. The show required many intricate, choreographed set changes, which went off without a hitch.
The student stage manager, senior Sarah Bogart, and student lighting designer, junior Avery Lombardi, took on larger roles than in past performances and did a great job. “The students ran this like a professional company,” Dr. Coates said.
A crowd-pleasing number came in Act 1, with “The Prince is Giving a Ball,” which mesmerized even the youngsters in the audience, many of whom were dressed as Cinderella.
The students had a ball putting on the show.
“I absolutely loved playing Cinderella,” junior Kendall Sorenson said. “I had the best time creating my own version of a princess so well known around the world and bringing this different take on the story to life.”
“I loved looking into the audience and seeing all the little kids dressed up as Cinderella,” she added. “It truly made the show magical.”
Playing Prince Topher was an amazing experience for junior Jack Levy.
“I loved getting to portray a character who at the beginning of the show is unsure of who he is, and by the end finds confidence and love in someone who truly understands him,” he said. “Watching that journey unfold was truly special.”
“Everyone involved worked so hard to bring the show to life, and even with the limited time, we saw the fairy-tale magic unfold on opening night,” Jack added.
Senior Evan Reiss, who played the rebellious Jean-Michel, said: “Being able to play a determined, crazy, and comedic character in one show was a blast, as I had to play with his multiple personalities.”
Senior Rachel Geller said she loved playing Charlotte, “the sassy stepsister, because I was able to easily incorporate a lot of my personality into the role.”
Emi Nagura, also a senior, played Madame, Cinderella’s stepmother.
“For the first time, I was able to play a villain in a show, and while it might’ve been out of my comfort zone, Madame was one of my favorite characters to portray,” she said. “She is both comedic and mean at the same time, and I was able to bring more depth to her as I stepped into the role.”
Junior Darby Schlosser felt connected to her character Marie, the Fairy Godmother. “We both value kindness above all, always help and encourage others, and believe that anything is possible,” she said. “It was incredible to be able to portray this strong, inspirational woman on stage.”
The students said the show was amazing and noted how hard everyone worked, especially with the compressed schedule.
“The set, the lighting, the music, the acting, everything was put together so nicely despite the fact that we lost three tech rehearsals to snow days,” Emi said. “It was truly magical watching everything come together in such a short amount of time.”
