Few things are quite as gratifying as an unexpected thrill. Sitting down to this year’s production of Black Ensemble (BE) Theater’s The Other Cinderella certainly held the promise of quality entertainment. The theater company has been consistently delivering stellar musical productions for nearly fifty years. Using the power of music to recall milestones of Black history and document the legacy of creative titans, BE has become an integral contributor to the cultural vigor of the city. In its current incarnation, The Other Cinderella simply acts as a reminder of the company’s versatility and ability to soar.
Taking on this most iconic of fairytales isn’t new to the company. The impossibly charming octogenarian sitting next to me at the show remembered seeing Jackie Taylor, BE’s CEO and founder, playing the lead role back in the 70’s. Presented every year since, multiple generations of Chicagoans have now “grown up” with this endearing and spectacular take on the fairytale’s underlying message of spirit driven resolve.
Occupying a parallel universe, this Cinderella lives in the mythical kingdom of Other where all the inhabitants, with one exception, are Black and the language code switches frequently and with astonishing ease. In countless ways the kingdom couldn’t be more idyllic. Resplendent in their royal finery, King Harry (Vincent Jordan) and Queen Mildred (Qiana C. McNary) epitomize royal bliss and contentment. The kingdom is at peace and the king enjoys the respect and allegiance of his subjects. Thoughts of legacy constitute the king and queen’s single concern. Despite being of marrying age and pleas from his parents to show more interest in furthering the line; their only child, Prince Charles (RJ Griffith), shows no strong interest in complying. His close friendship with the Duke’s gay son is a particular irritant to the King and sets up a provocative subplot to the play’s trajectory.
Jordan makes a wonderfully imposing King, a monarch who has the capacity to shift smoothly from majestic ruler to attentive husband and concerned father. Those dimensions and a splendid singing voice make him a joy to watch as his role unfurls. Obtaining his job through a kingdom wide lottery, the King’s new Page (Brandon Lewis) matches the King in dynamism and charisma; but both are deployed it in very different ways. As Page, he executes the King’s wishes while also becoming an ally to a Prince trying to please his parents and grow into his destiny. The King’s idea of mounting a ball to find the Prince a wife may have been met with royal resignation by the Prince, but in the kingdom, it’s explosive. Especially so in Cinderella’s projects household, where the comedic pillars supporting the musical are about to expand exponentially.
Wide swatches of high comedy emanating from three incredible characters; Stepmama (Cynthia F. Carter) and her two lay about daughters, Geneva (Michelle Renée Bester) and Margarite (Brittney Edwards) dilute the grimness of Cinderella’s home. All three are ridiculously oppressive and cruel to her. But they’re also wickedly funny in the process. With a big voice and a stage personality that commands rapt attention, Carter makes Stepmama come alive with astonishing force. When she sings The Stepmama’s Song, What’s Fair is Fair, reminding Cinderella (Miciah Lathan) that her low status is all that she deserves, Carter proves she’s a theatrical dynamo with a unique gift. Bester and Edwards as mean girls frolic in their malevolence with so much glee that they mesmerize.
Nuance, radiant wit and unbridled charm saturate this production. It should not have been a surprise that Cinderella’s fairy godmother; correction, fairy godmama (Melanie McCullough), would be Jamaican with a killer accent and drenched in Rihanna cool. Not only does she transform Cinderella on the outside and provide a Bentley to carry her to the ball, she provides the spark that ignites Cinderella’s inner spirit.
Whenever Cinderella’s Stepmama and her daughters are involved, the atmosphere is sure to be riotously madcap. The ball and the house-to-house search for the woman whose foot would fit the abandoned silver slipper were no exception.
One departure from standard script proved especially noteworthy when Dorothy, the one from Kansas, showed up seeking entrance to the kingdom. She had to pass three tests to do so, one of them being to demonstrate whether she could sing the blues. Once Colleen Virginia Perry, in the role of Dorothy, unleashed her vocal gifts on The White Girl Blues, it was clear why in another musical she’d been the featured singer performing Janis Joplin. It was a memorable solo; distinguished for its heart as well as its power. Makenzy Jenkins as the Duke’s gay son also got a turn to self-validate in his courageously defiant rendition of The Woman Inside Me. Both songs, among a number of others in the musical, were written by The Other Cinderella’s writer and director, Ms. Taylor.
Ranging from high chic to its opposite, Evelyn Danner’s costume and wig designs offered a visual dialogue that enhanced the production beautifully. Denise Karczewski’s Moroccan themed set, elegantly understated, proved an ideal backdrop for this caprice laden musical. Like Dorian Gray, The Other Cinderella seems to get younger with age. Forty-seven years certainly hasn’t dampened any its freshness. With new twists and turns in every production, generations to come have much to look forward to in future “other Cinderellas”.
The Other Cinderella
Through January 14, 2024
Black Ensemble Theater
4450 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35140/production/1156931?
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