Cinderella the Musical

Our musical date was made possible through the insistence of my eldest daughter. I was actually short on cash, but I couldn’t resist the chance to see a Lea Salonga play after missing the heralded Miss Saigon during its Philippine run. Besides, it’s seldom that my daughter, a lover of musical, would ask me for something. I do not have the heart to break her’s. With eyes closed, I told her to purchase online three tickets for me, herself, and her sister. I wanted the P1,000 or P1,500 tickets. There were still available seats for those tickets when I checked tickets availability the previous day at ticketworld at my office, I was asking for her availability through text but she was not replying. I told myself we’ll just buy the tickets the following day. But when she checked, only the P4,000 and above tickets and lowest-priced tickets at P750 and P500 were available on the Sunday we preferred to watch the show. We decided to take three P750 tickets. P4,000 is way above my budget.

My two daughters and I prepared well to see our favorite fairy tale, Cinderella. I even admonished my daughter on the right outfits cautioning one not to wear jeans. I may have sounded like the wicked stepmother going to the ball with her daughters, Cinderella’s stepsisters. After our early dinner, we dressed up, and drove to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. There was a build up as we were approaching CCP. We knew these motorists were all headed to see Cinderella. I curiously made a right turn at the curb before CCP to look for a parking space. Luckily, I got it right and we parked our car.

We entered the side entrance of the CCP and showed our tickets to the usher who told us to take the elevator to the fourth floor. Huh, fourth floor? Yes, I heard it right fourth floor. We proceeded to the elevator and went to the upper box section. Upon entry, I braced myself for what appears to be a virtual indoor cliff and uttered, “Nakakatakot” which elicited laughter from some people. The upper box portion set at an incline of roughly 70 degrees might trigger panic attacks from people suffering from acrophobia. The usher calmed me down saying it will be ok once the show starts. I retorted that they should provide a seat belt for safety. My two daughters decided to buy the improvised binoculars from the peddlers outside the theater.

In time, the show would start with Cinderella on her knees scrubbing the floor. True enough, I have forgotten about my fears once Lea, err Cinderella, sang the opening song with the backdrop of her bedroom showing a lone bed and stairs leading to the main house depicting the destitute of a young lady. The set provides enough gloom that one can easily empathize with the character. The appearance of the fairy godmother at the beginning foretells the happy ending of this well-loved classic. The fairy godmother, a vivacious woman with a flair, would relate the unfolding story as she would slowly lift Cinderella out of her misery from the abusive extended family she lives with after her father died.

The cute and adorable white mice delighted the audience during their brief appearance at the beginning. Cinderella won’t be able to resist their charms even breaking their house rules. Living up to her name, these creatures along with the white mice in the cage make up her friends from the underground.

From the deplorable bedroom scene, the town plaza act would provide a joyful interlude as the news of the Royal Ball is announced. The delightful news would elicit dancing and singing from the maidens and men in their colorful costumes. I would be intimately engaged with the play at this point as I watched the choreography blends with the colors and the lights. Everyone was in awe.

The stepmother and stepsisters, Portia and Joy, would be shown recreating the all-too familiar master-slave scene, the good and the bad, the lovely and the ugly. The feisty stepmother is at her element as she and her bumbling daughters huddled upon learning of the Royal Ball completely dismissing Cinderella. They would be wrapped up in their preparation for the ball while ordering Cinderella around. Stepmother would coach her daughters on charming the prince telling them to flaunt their qualities, Portia for her intelligence and Joy for her funny side. Some scenes would border on slaptick humor but that is expected of the stepsisters as they resort to exaggeration to get the Prince’s attention. Their mother would always be looking at her daughters’ interest.

The king and queen are not just part of the props in this musical. They are much more involved in the play than they were in the original story. Some of the most witty lines would come from the unconventional king, an easy man with a big heart who adores her queen. These two characters were introduced as the usual man and wife with their marital woes giving different perspectives on the Royal Ball. The king is reluctant about spending for a grand ball with an uncertain economy even citing the fluctuating interest rates. The queen, on the other hand, wants all glamor and the glitz befitting royalty in search of the ideal mate for their son. The argument would lead to the preparation for the ball by the maids and servants dancing and singing as they frantically put together a feast.

The other half of the love story would be introduced as he discussed his reluctance to have the ball to find his mate with his parents. The Prince, who just came from his studies abroad, would at times come out stiff and too serious for a worldly guy, He should have taken after his King-Dad. His conversation with the king is amusing. The king would rattle off names of princesses and maidens who can be his potential mates. He would try to dismiss every name on his king’s list. The Prince would tell the king, “………………… she who cannot even talk about anything.” The king would reply, “After a few years of marriage, you would see that such is a virtue.” The Prince would finally ask the king how he handled all of this in his time. Showing his wisdom, the king would say that his love for the Queen would see him through it all. The Prince would have his funny moments. In the scene where he got the glass slippers after Cinderella flees, he would ask the king if he could use the secret service to search for the owner of the slipper.

The ball scene is splendid with the colorful gowns and the festivities. The dancing was regaling and engaging. The ladies were resplendent in their shimmering gowns as they dance the night away. The stepsisters provided comic relief as they tried to outdo each other to get the Prince’s attention causing roars among the crowd. Both got their chance which they bungled as expected.

The set was wonderfully crafted from the opening scene to the finale. Props were prepared with great attention to details. Worthy of note is the transformation of the pumpkin and mice to the magnificent carriage with the horsemen and the footmen. The carriage scene along with Cinderella’s transformation was magical as a fitting climax. A magical moment was created when fairy godmother popped from nowhere right before our eyes. Our attention was diverted to the fairy godmother knocking on the door until she popped and was suddenly inside the house. Great lighting effects! Kudos to the director of the show for that well-executed scene!

The dialogue is witty and upbeat with reference to current issues which made the play all the more enjoyable. One can also relate to the ordinary problems faced by the characters like the king and queen discussing expenses for the ball or the economy.

I would have loved this musical even more if the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein were familiar to me or the Filipino audience. Lea’s voice is undeniably great for just about any song. But a mixed audience of young and old from different income strata would easily feel the story with familiar songs. I heard some people saying their children fell asleep in some musical numbers.

At our altitude, we were able to get a good view of the entire stage. I tried peering through the binoculars but only got distorted image. So I contented myself just watching with my eyes even if I don’t see their faces. Seeing the entire picture allowed us to see the action as one without losing focus unlike being near the stage and focusing on one or two characters. By seeing the big picture, one can also appreciate the elaborate preparation for the set. The downside is we would only see Cinderella from the waist down whenever she was on the stairs. One particular damper is the wedding scene at the finale where she would have to join the prince at the top of the stairs for their wedding. I am sure they look spectacular but I would have to miss that at our location. I love the white and blue motif, looks so like royalty.

Overall, Ms. Lea Salonga and the rest of the cast gave a heart-warming performance that justified my daughters staying late before an exam’s week and my spending my hard-earned money for our Cinderella rendezvous. A toast to you all!

PS: I wish you can do Beauty and the Beast. Belle is more my kind of woman.