Gamut Theatre Podcast: The Cinderella Project: Recent Episodes
Gamut Theatre Group
All of us at Gamut Theatre were heartbroken when we had to cancel the Young Acting Company's performance of Cinderella, and we know the students and their families were too. We are thrilled to announce the Gamut Podcast: The Cinderella Project! This six-week podcast gives students the opportunity to share their performance with their family, friends and the greater community. Big thanks to our sponsor Capital BlueCross and all of our wonderful supporters. Gamut Theatre Podcast: The Cinderella Project airs Fridays at 11:00 AM beginning July 24 - August 28
As the third night of the ball gets underway, Bernard once again stumbles across Johann flirting with another woman. Angry and offended, Bernard is about to confront Johann when a distressed Remy comes up looking for Ella, who has not yet arrived.
After the guests entertain the assembled gentry with Schmidt’s well-rehearsed rendition of “O Mistress Mine,” Charlotte, Marie, and Ella arrive together, all in beautiful magical dresses, compliments of the Fairy Godmother. Remy quickly takes Ella away to dance, and Bernard tries to warn Marie about Johann’s behavior, but Marie is too starry-eyed to listen. Instead, he drags Charlotte off to witness Johann romancing yet another woman. Charlotte quickly understands what’s going on, and she brings Marie in time to see the truth.
Johann is unapologetic, despite Marie’s distress, and Bernard quickly steps in to challenge the duke to a duel over his unkind behavior. The swordfight seems at first to go against Bernard, but he is determined to reveal Johann for the cad he is, and in the end, Bernard is victorious, and Johann slinks off in embarrassed defeat.
In the quiet after the storm, Marie and Bernard talk, navigating the intricacies of chivalry and respect, affection and friendship. Bernard doesn’t babble, Marie doesn’t giggle, and they see in each other the complicated reality of true love.
By now, Remy is certain he’s in love with the beautiful, mysterious woman he’s spent so much time with, but once again, she vanishes at midnight. His well-meaning parents happily confess that they have coated the steps of the palace with tar to trap the escaping young woman, but all they manage to trap is her shoe.
Ella, once again in everyday clothes, certain that she’s lost her chance at love with Remy, goes to the garden where she finds her Fairy Godmother and all the sprites. Her godmother invites her to come away to the fairy world, to Tir Na Nog, where she will never know sadness or longing or hunger or death. Ella is tempted but in the end chooses to remain human and figure things out for herself, even if that means risking unhappiness.
Bernard and Jerome spend the dawn hours going from house to house in search of the missing girl. They finally find her, thanks in part to the stepmother’s change of heart. She instists that Ella stop hiding and try on the proffered shoe. Remy enters, Ella and he realize that they fell in love even before they met at the ball, and they finally pledge their true love with no masks or disguises. Bernard and Jerome realize their hearts have likewise been lost to Ella’s sisters, and the story ends not with a single happily-ever-after, but several.
After the others leave, the Fairy Godmother, Ivy, and Julep once again magically prepare Ella to go to the ball. Ella is worried for Charlotte, something she cannot make her godmother understand, so she decides she will do what she can to help.
Back in the palace, Marie and Johann continue to spend time together, Marie growing increasingly smitten with the gallant duke. Johann encourages Bernard to talk to Charlotte again, and Bernard tries but once again only manages to babble nervously before excusing himself, which does nothing to boost Charlotte’s confidence. Later that night, he keeps Marie company as she nurses her sore feet, and in contrast, he finds her easy to talk to, and the two find an immediate rapport.
Ella and Remy meet up once again, and like the previous night, the guests are drawn to the attractive couple. This time, however, Ella uses that attention to shine a light on Charlotte’s talents and good nature. She leaves Charlotte with Jerome and other guests, all cheerfully trying to make balloon animals, with varying degrees of success.
Ella and Remy and Bernard also try to make balloon animals, although they are all better at popping balloons than sculpting them. They cross paths again with Duke Johann, who is now romancing a different woman. Bernard is taken aback by this behavior. Ella realizes it’s almost midnight and steals away without saying goodbye, leaving Remy baffled and more than a little sad.
The next day, Charlotte, encouraged by her success the previous night, decides to take a stand for Ella. She tells her mother that she will not attend the last night of the ball unless Ella is also allowed to go. Marie agrees, trying to make their mother see that Ella is their sister, not their competition. Ella, gratified by their affection, decides to reveal her secret and introduce them to her Fairy Godmother.
Almost immediately after Marie and Charlotte and their mother arrive at the palace for the first night of festivities, Marie is swept off her feet by Duke Johann at his most charming. Charlotte, determined to put her best foot forward, tries to make conversation with Bernard and Jerome but instead so startles Bernard that he babbles at her for a minute before running off. Hurt and worried that she is a social failure, Charlotte tries to make conversation with the other guests but is ignored and spoken over, confirming her fears.
The king and queen, who are enjoying themselves mightily, encourage their moping son to shake off his funk and talk to the next woman who arrives at the ball. That happens to be Ella, and although neither Ella nor Remy recognizes the other from their earlier encounter, they once again find an easy camaraderie. Ella’s arrival is also marked by the ladies and gentlemen of the court, who are drawn to the beautiful, mysterious girl and her dashing escort.
Bernard, noticing Johann’s success with Marie, asks for advice, and Johann promises to help Bernard become more confident with women. The ball draws to an end, and the guests depart to rest up for the next night of dancing, music, and entertainment.
Back at home, Charlotte breaks down into tears, confessing to Ella all her fears about never fitting in and explaining how she felt completely overshadowed by the arrival of a startlingly beautiful girl who drew the attention and admiration of all. Ella realizes Charlotte is talking about herself and tries to argue, but Charlotte only cries harder, telling Ella that she has no idea what it’s like to be unattractive and unloved and different. Marie comforts her sister by promising that things will be different tomorrow night.
**While the resourceful Schmidt struggles to throw together a properly impressive three-night masquerade ball, Remy decides to take a different approach, one suggested by Jerome: he dresses up as a peasant and wanders the countryside. Thoroughly lost, he stumbles into Ella’s garden, where she has been singing her mother’s lullaby to herself. The two almost instantly become friends, bonding over their similar-but-different issues with their parents.
Back at the palace (and much to the terror of Schmidt) the young men spar, and Johann shows himself to be an excellent swordsman. Remy tells his friends that he’s met a girl, but they remind him that the balls are going ahead anyway, so he might as well try to have fun.**
When the day of the ball arrives, all four women are very excited, but Ella’s stepmother is not making things easy for her. While Marie and Charlotte head out to the rented coach in their new gowns, Ella quarrels with her stepmother, knocking over a jar of rice in the process, and the dress she’d hoped to wear gets torn. Heartbroken, Ella rushes out of the house in tears.
She goes to the garden, a place of solace and now of magic. Her fairy godmother reveals herself to Ella, and with the help of Ivy, Julep, and the rest of the sprites, they transform mice and lizards into horses and footmen, clean up the spilled rice, and give Cinderella a dress and a coach and a cheerful farewell as she heads to the ball.
Moving forward in time about ten years, we meet Prince Remy and his royal parents, who are very much in love with one another, evidenced by how easily they make each other laugh. They want Remy to marry, but Remy resists, asserting his desire to fall in love first, despite his responsibilities as crown prince.
The dashing Duke Johann arrives for a state visit with his enthusiastic footman, Schmidt. He offers to help Remy find someone to marry who will please both the prince and his parents. They are joined by Remy’s cousins and best friends, Jerome and Bernard, and together the young men decide that a masked ball will give the prince a chance to find a suitable bride, while also giving themselves a chance to meet all the lovely young ladies of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Ivy, Julep, and all the sprites relax with the fairy godmother in Cinderella’s garden, keeping an eye on her beautiful goddaughter while the lizards and mice go about their business. The arrival of an invitation to a royal masquerade ball sends all three sisters into a happy tizzy, but while Charlotte and Marie run off to place an order for new gowns, Ella’s stepmother stops Ella from going, telling her that she should be grateful for what she has. Ella’s father, worried about the cost of gowns and coaches, heads out to sell his goods.
During this episode, we are introduced to the fairy godmother and to Ivy and Julep, her helpers and mischief-makers. The curious woodsprites are, of course, always around, but they settle in relatively well to hear the fairy godmother tell them more about Ella’s childhood and how she lost her gentle, loving mother.
Ella’s father, a travelling merchant, decides he should remarry quickly to secure a mother for Ella. He meets and marries Manette, a no-nonsense woman with two daughters of her own. Manette, Charlotte, and Marie have been through hard times, and Manette is determined to help her daughters make better lives for themselves. She decides Ella has had it too easy and tries to teach her the value of hard work.
After a quarrel with Charlotte and Marie that results in soot and ashes getting everywhere, Ella is forced to clean the fireplace and ends up covered in cinders herself. This earns her the nickname of “Cinderella,” which like many unfortunate nicknames, sticks.