Cinderella shines in debut at Bedell

When the curtains opened at Bedell Hall for the River Campus' first production of the spring semester, the audience was greeted with a familiar scene: Cinderella earnestly scrubbing the floors. The performance that followed, though, was charmingly removed from Disney's version of the timeless fairy tale.

Southeast departments of music and theater and dance combined their efforts to deliver Pauline Viardot's classic opera "Cinderella" -- or "Cindrillon" -- on Friday, the first of two performances.

Originally composed in French, the majority of songs in the opera have been translated to English, but director Christopher Goeke said the French words and accents used in the performance convey the essence of 17th-century France.

Armelinde, left, and Maguelonne, played by Zaria Christopher, and Julia Diaz respectively, stand behind Cendrillon, played by Brittany Moleski, as she sings in a performance of "Cinderella" on Friday.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Goeke said Viardot composed the classic opera in 1904 at the age of 83.

"She had an international career as a singer, retired and started teaching, and she would write music for her students to perform," Goeke said. "She would write music that fit what the students needed, if a student needed a particular style or needed to be challenged in a certain way. So it makes a great piece for us; it's challenging but doable."

Goeke said "Cindrillon" is generally accompanied by piano, but this presentation relies on Southeast's orchestra, led by Timothy Schmidt, for an impressive and interactive score.

Armelinde, left, and Maguelonne, played by Zaria Christopher, and Julia Diaz respectively, stand behind Cendrillon, played by Brittany Moleski, as she sings in a performance of "Cinderella" on Friday.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

The glowing wand of La Fe'e (the Fairy Godmother), played by Southeast senior Kylie Toerpe, brings a bit of magic to the show. She said multimedia elements, such as video and some pyrotechnics, helped facilitate the illusions on stage.

Toerpe said the student performers involved in the production returned to campus a week early to tighten down the performance.

"You should have worked over break, and you come back ready to jump right into it, and there's very little room for forgetting what you're expected to be doing," Toerpe said. "We have wonderful professors and people that we work with, and because we drill it so intensely in the months before we come back, it's always pretty solid."

Cinderella's evil stepsisters, portrayed by Zaria Christopher and Julia Diaz, are one key source of the opera's lighthearted tone, epitomized by a ballroom scene that Goeke said is as fun for the performers as it is for the audience.

"It means so much to us to work so hard and then perform it for you all," Goeke said. "Just say 'yes' to opera."

The second and final showing of "Cinderella" will be 3 p.m. Sunday.