Fairy tale fanfare at LTWB

“Cinderella,” March 13, 19-20, 8 p.m.; March 14, 21, 3 p.m., Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre (537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre). Tickets: $18 general admission, $10 children under 12. Info: 570.823.1875. ($1 of each ticket sold on opening night benefits Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Bridge)

Take one poor, kind-hearted girl. Stir in a wicked stepmother. Toss in two ugly stepsisters. Add a handsome prince, a royal ball and a delicate glass slipper. Sprinkle liberally with music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Top with a handful of magic, rehearse for several weeks and voila, it’s the perfect recipe for a delightful retelling of the timeless fairy tale “Cinderella” with songs including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s version of the classic first appeared on CBS TV in 1957 with Julie Andrews in the title role. The television spectacular has been remade twice since then, with Lesley Ann Warren and Brandy giving the glass slipper a spin in 1965 and 1997. Now, the magical musical is coming to life on stage, courtesy of the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre and director Cathy Alaimo. Though Alaimo and her cast and crew are hard at work making sure every detail is fairy-tale perfect, she took a few minutes to chat about making sure the show goes on happily ever after.

Weekender: What brought you to the director’s chair for “Cinderella?”

Alaimo: I’m a sucker for a fairy tale happy ending. I also have a personal connection to the show. About 10 years ago, my Mom directed “Cinderella” at Hanover High School, and I helped her out with it. I really fell in love with the Rodgers and Hammerstein score.

Weekender: What makes Cinderella’s story relevant today?

Alaimo: I think using the word “relevant” is a bit of a stretch. I mean, come on, it’s “Cinderella!” That being said, we all have problems that we hope will be magically solved, especially during our challenging economy. The Godmother’s reminder that “we can’t rely on guardian angels or good fairies too much,” but that “everything starts with a wish, nothing happens without wishing,” allows us to continue to have hope that dreams sometimes do come true and that “Impossible things are happening every day.”

Weekender: Why is “Cinderella” a good choice for LTWB?

Alaimo: Ever since I was first involved at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, I found it to be a very family-like atmosphere. So in that way, “Cinderella” is perfect. We’re hoping to welcome many new family members into our audiences. As for the physical requirements of the show, Little Theatre has a nice big stage to become a ballroom and an orchestra pit to host our musicians. You can’t do “Cinderella” without a trumpet fanfare or a lilting violin!

Weekender: Any particular challenges getting the show up and running so far?

Alaimo: The nature of community theater means that our cast and production staff are a group of people brought together from our community. When you draw from the community, that means working with people who have families and full-time jobs or who are students with homework assignments. The challenge is scheduling around work, family and other community obligations. I am fortunate to be working with some exceptionally dedicated people on this production. If any one of them had to miss a rehearsal, they were there and working that much harder at the next one. It was really inspiring for me!

Weekender: Anything particularly rewarding or surprising in a good way?

Alaimo: From a production standpoint, watching the chemistry between Cinderella (Shannon Munley) and the Prince (Gerard Angeli) blows my mind at every rehearsal. When I held auditions, there was no doubt that they were both incredibly talented, but as I get to watch them develop their characters and play off one another, I get the chills. It’s really breathtaking. On a personal note, I’ve had the chance to meet some folks who are new to the Little Theatre family who have become good friends and I hope will keep coming back because they’re talented and lots of fun to have around.

Weekender: Do you ever wish you were on the other side, performing instead of directing this one?

Alaimo: Playing the Stepmother, of course, would be loads of fun — it’s always fun to play mean! But if I were in it I wouldn’t have the opportunity to watch it grow. I’m quite content being on my own side of the table.

Weekender: What would you like audience members to take away from “Cinderella?”

Alaimo: A smile! And maybe a lighter heart!

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