Heels or Sneakers...or Glass Slippers

Brace yourself! Musical auditions for G-E-T's "Cinderella" started tonight, and that means that in addition to the school stories and training updates that go with the Heels or Sneakers territory, rehearsal/directing/stage designing/set building craziness are now fair game as well. That there's a FABULOUS pair of shoes at the heart of the "Cinderella" story makes it just about perfect!

To be clear, we are talking the real Cinderella...not that the Disney animated version isn't real, and that Whitney Houston and Brandi didn't do a great job with the remake in the 90s, but this is the Rogers and Hammerstein original script/score, which, consequently, was actually a made for TV musical and only later adapted for the stage (and only opened on Broadway for the first time this year!). So there's a theatre fun fact for you.

Another theatre fun fact: Julie Andrews was the original Cinderella, which is also perfect because I LOVE Julie Andrews.

And speaking of Julie Andrews!

Like how I did that? Pretty good segue, huh!?

Julie Andrews was also the original Mary Poppins, and as long as we're talking about theatre, I have to go on record and say that "Mary Poppins" at the Overture Center was phenomenal last weekend! In typical theatre nerd style, I sat through most of the show trying to figure out how they did what they did on stage. Mary Poppins flew in and out on her umbrella and performed all kinds of magic on stage, Bert danced across the rooftops of London and walked upside down on the ceiling, and there was lots of kite flying in the park.

There was also this delightful and ever popular musical number, which could, no doubt, spark about 300,000 Youtube video tutorials on how to do the dance. I'll just show you the clip of the dancers demonstrating the moves as you all, certainly, know the words to the song!

Oh what the heck! They performed live on British television! Here. Watch the whole thing!!

And because we're on the musical theatre video kick, a preview of Cinderella magic!

Happy Trails,