“Cinderella” Comes (Finally) to Dayton Stage

DAYTON - After seven years of setbacks and conflicts, Elizabeth Jagelski's childhood dream is materializing into reality on the Liberty Theater's stage.

The Touchet Valley Arts Council, under Jagelski's direction, will perform Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" this fall. While the classic musical is less familiar to many than the iconic Disney version, it has a special place in Jagelski's heart:

"This was the first musical I ever watched as a child," she said. The version starring Lesley Ann Warren appeared on television once a year and was always the subject of eager anticipation.

Jagelski, however, didn't look forward to the story itself nearly as much as the theatrical magic woven into it. The singing, the dancing, and the colorful acting enthralled her from a young age. "It's a childhood dream to bring this back to life - and hopefully recapture the magic I saw as a young child," she said.

In 2007, TVAC had initially planned to produce "Cinderella." "We were just about to order our materials", said Jagelski, "when WWCC announced that they were doing 'Cinderella' for their summer musical." TVAC decided to wait for a couple years before trying again "so that people would forget they'd seen it."

But two musicals later, when TVAC attempted to obtain the script, they found out that "Cinderella" was showing somewhere else - Broadway.

When a play is on Broadway, Jagelski explained, royalties are "closed" on its script and score to prevent competition, meaning that no theater - no matter how small or how distant - can perform that musical. And given that Broadway shows can run for thousands of performances on end, the chances of "Cinderella" making it to the Touchet Valley looked increasingly bleak. "We put it on the back burner one more time," she said.

This year, though, TVAC decided to take a gamble. Although "Cinderella" was still on Broadway, its run was winding down. "This year, we took a chance," said Jagelski. TVAC approached the script leasing company and asked if they could possibly rent "Cinderella".

To Jagelski's immense satisfaction, they were allowed to lease the script and musical score, and "Cinderella" will be waltzing across the Liberty's historic stage starting this November. Dayton's Katrina James has been cast in the title role.

"During her audition," said Jagelski, "Katrina almost made me cry." The emotion and "vulnerability" James showed proved to be precisely what the director was looking for - "We don't want her (Cinderella) to be a pushover," said Jagelski. "But we can't have her be sassy either. We're looking for the audience to really be able to connect with Cinderella."

Chad Pearson, a recent graduate of Waitsburg High School, will fill the role of the Prince. Pearson has performed in several TVAC musicals in the past but has been absent from the stage in recent years.

Jagelski is thrilled that Pearson is returning to the Liberty. "He's been gone for a while," she said. "Chad is kind of the hero for me - a young man who said 'yes, I'll try out'." She can't wait, she said, to "make the audience fall in love with him."

"We've been fortunate to have the Touchet Valley people come out and support us," said Jagelski, adding that this support is critical to the small theater's success. "When it's all said and done, productions cost a good $12,000 to $15,000 apiece," she said. "I don't think most people realize how expensive it is to put it on."

In particular, the rising cost of fabric and the demands of clothing an entire cast increasingly force TVAC to rent costumes from outside sources. Historical accuracy has always been a priority for TVAC's costuming department, she said. But with renting, "we don't get to dictate the era completely".

Despite the challenges, though, she's glad that "Cinderella" is finally going to work out for TVAC.

"I just want to thank the community for their support," said Jagelski. "It's a constant challenge to do better every year. That's my goal - to bring happiness to people, even if it's only for two and a half hours of their lives."