Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella closes its run this weekend at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the two matinees on Saturday and Sunday already sold out. David Victor, executive director of Metropolis doesn’t mince words: “It’s a very talented cast!”
Patrick Johnson as Prince Topher (Photos by Jen Heim)
Indeed. Molly Bremer plays the title role of Cinderella, or Ella, as she is called in this adaptation by Tony Award nominee, Douglas Carter Beane. Bremer is a graduate of Princeton, who honed her performance skills at The Chicago Academy for the Arts. She is making her Metropolis debut, but most recently, she played Belle in Beauty and the Beast and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Cortland Repertory Theater in New York.
“If you want to see a traditional Cinderella, if you want to see a ball gown, wonderful dance numbers, beautiful sets and costumes, a 13-piece orchestra, amazing choreography — you’ll get to see all of that,” Bremer says. “But you’ll also get to see real people in their characters. It’s really a dream come true.”
Her prince is played by Patrick Johnson, who earlier this year made his Metropolis debut singing in the quartet, in Music Man in Concert. After the show wraps up, Johnson next will play Prince Eric in Drury Lane Theatre’s production of Little Mermaid.
“It’s exciting to be kicking off the 25th anniversary with a show of this caliber,” Johnson says, “and really bringing the magic alive for audiences of all ages.”
Molly Bremer as Ella
Adding to that caliber is the direction by Johanna McKenzie Miller, elaborate choreography by Mandy Modic and music directed and conducted by Aaron Kaplan.
“Having a full orchestra perform these wonderful orchestrations is an iconic part of Rodgers and Hammerstein shows,” Kaplan says, “and to be able to bring that Broadway sound to audiences has been thrilling.”
In February, Kaplan directed his JAM Orchestra members on stage for Music Man in Concert. When Kaplan is not directing pit orchestras for musical theater companies, he can be founding directing the orchestras at Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South high schools, as well as the Elgin Youth Symphony, to name just a few.
“The production is grand and the music is so beautiful, we’re spoiled that we get to sing it,” says Rachel Carreras, who plays the fairy godmother. “The audience is going to leave humming a lot of tunes.”
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