Toowoomba State High School musical Cinderella the Enchanted open Thursday
Toowoomba State High School students put the final touches on what promises to be a magical evening on song, dance and laughter.
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Usually teachers encourage their students to play nice but for Abigail Clarke and Billie Riley, a bit of animosity was not just accepted, it was encouraged.
The pair will play Cinderella and her Evil Stepmother, respectively, in Toowoomba State High School’s production of Cinderella the Enchanted and had to push past politeness to find characters.
“We have done heaps of rehearsing and our teachers are really good at pushing us to characterise the role as much as we can,” Billie said.
“We wanted to make it bigger and louder and it was really fun to push that as far as I could.
“I feel quite bad for how rude I am being.”
Nastiness is a hallmark of the iconic Evil Stepmother, who bullies and neglects Cinderella and later undermines her attempts at finding true love.
Their relationships will be played out over a series of performances at the school’s new performing arts centre from Thursday.
The musical is inspired by the acclaimed 1997 teleplay starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, and this version of the magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance.
Abigail said it had been a joy to see the 90-student-strong production come together.
“It is a lovely magical performance with a lot of laughter, there are some really big dance numbers and I can’t wait for everyone else to enjoy it,” she said.
Abigail and Billie are no strangers to the stage, having performed in the school’s recent productions of The Wizard of Oz, Annie and High School Musical.
“I love seeing everyone’s faces when you come out on stage, especially the little kids,” Abigail said.
“They truly believe it.
“When you step on the stage it is a whole new world, you get to be someone you could never be in real life.”
The musical opens June 1 at 6.30pm with follow up performances June 2 at 6.30pm, June 3 at d 1.30pm and 6.30pm at the Toowoomba State High School Performing Arts Centre. Tickets available at the door before the shows, starting at $15.
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