Carries on long tradition
of staging a large musical
production alternate years

PARIS — In less than two weeks, all the hard work by the cast and crew of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” will come to fruition when the production opens for audiences April 5 at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.

The Oxford Hills School Community Broadway Show stages a large musical every other year, a tradition that started nearly 45 years ago and features the talents of local performers from grade school on up.

“We’re ready to go!” said producer and music director Kyle Jordan. “From set building to costuming; from the cast learning the music and the choreography, it’s been quite a smooth process. Everyone involved is just very excited to share our efforts with our audience.”

“Cinderella,” under the direction of veteran director Andrew Turner, has a cast of 60 and closely follows the original live television broadcast featuring Julie Andrews in 1957.

“We’ve been blessed with an incredibly versatile and talented cast,” Turner said. “Having nearly 80 audition allowed us to be selective about who we placed in the lead roles.”

Playing those roles are Sara Klotz as Cinderella; Chris Alberi as the Prince; Paul Bickford as the King; Kristen Short as the Queen; Jen Collins Beaudoin as the Stepmother; Janelle Raven as Portia; Sarah Porter as Joy; Adrienne Cote as the Godmother and Brandon Sukeforth as the Herald.

The cast has been rehearsing three times a week since the middle of January, a process that includes learning lines, music and dance steps.

“I’ve been impressed,” Jordan said. “Musicals are not just about learning a bunch of songs. These people have to remember to act, to move, to dance. The entire cast really has taken to it easily.”

“The beauty of community theater is that every one of these people do this for the love of it,” Turner said. “They have busy lives as students and parents and professionals. They take the time out of their hectic lives to devote to doing something they enjoy. It’s inspiring.”

The show runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, April 5 through 7, at 7 p.m., closing out with a Sunday at 1:30 p.m. matinee on April 8. Reserved seating tickets for the Mark S. Eastman Auditorium at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School can be purchased at The Tribune bookstore (formerly Books ‘N Things) on Main Street in Norway, or by calling 207-739-6200. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.

The cast of Cinderella (Photo/Brewster Burns)