The Prince is giving a ball.

At long last, here it is: my review of Charlottetown Rural's Cinderella.

My acquaintance with this musical dates back to the late 90's when I used to tape episodes of CBC's Say It with Music with Richard Ouzounian from the radio. One Sunday afternoon he profiled several recordings of Cinderella, including the Rodgers and Hammerstein version. I was charmed by the music, and I would listen to the songs repeatedly. Coincidentally, the new Disney version with Whitney Houston and Brandy aired at about the same time, which I did watch but was not quite as taken with. I never committed to buying the soundtrack to Cinderella, but still regarded the musical quite fondly.

I was delighted to hear that the Rural would be performing Cinderella this year, because it would give me the opportunity to see the music performed live. It was with eager anticipation that I waited in line for half an hour to get my seat for Friday night's performance.

Visually, the production was stunning. The set was a fabulous multi-level construction with incredible painted stone detailing. The lighting design complemented the set perfectly. The costumes were also impressive, with a few exceptions: it was unfortunate to see the Prince in a tapered-leg pant, and I did not expect to see Cinderella in a ball gown with big buttons on the front. I did however enjoy the high prevalence of hoop skirts, which naturally made me think of the infamous igloo of the pageant scene in Anne.

The vocal performances of the cast members were remarkably strong. I was very pleased to hear such wonderful solos, and I got goosebumps several times while listening to the songs. I particularly enjoyed "Boys and Girls Like You and Me", which I had never heard before, and "Impossible", which I remembered well from my well-worn tape. The orchestra put forth a good showing, and I can't believe they all fit down there in that pit.

If I could be a little critical of the production for a moment, I would say that the lengthy scene changes had a negative impact on the flow of the performance. At times there was a lack of energy on stage. Some of the snappier bits of dialogue seemed to fall flat, which was unfortunate because it appeared the bulk of the comedy of the show was in its dialogue.

However, overall the performance was enjoyable. I have been continually impressed with the improvement in quality of the Rural's musicals over the past few years. There is something magical about seeing live musical theater, and the participants in this year's production should be extremely proud of their ability to sweep us into the world of Cinderella and her Prince.