'Cinderella' to take North Allegheny stage in March

North Allegheny Senior High School's spring musical is called a production for a reason.

From March 2 through 6 at the senior high school, a 58-member cast will perform the Broadway version of “Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella” with plenty of music, dancing and special effects.

The Fairy Godmother will fly high above the stage on three occasions.

Cinderella's rag-tag dress magically will transform into a radiant gown in front of an anticipated audience of 1,500 people per night.

“Not a lot of high schools have the ability to do all this,” said the show's dramatic director, Joe Truesdell, who also teaches English at the high school.

In addition to talent, lighting, scrims and other theater equipment and a large stage, “We have the support of the school district and the community. We're very fortunate,” Truesdell said.

“Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella” is a Tony Award-winning musical with a romantic twist to the traditional storyline about a maid-turned-princess.

The show mixes fresh comedy and political references with the tale's classic elements.

North Allegheny's production will cost $115,000, funded through ticket and concession sales, program advertising and fundraising efforts. No tax dollars are used.

At first, Truesdell and Artistic Director Bob Tozier didn't want to do “Cinderella.”

“I thought (the) Cinderella (story) was old and stuffy,” said Tozier, who chairs the North Allegheny School District's music department.

Other members of the directing team encouraged them to reconsider, so they drove to Michigan one Saturday in September to see the traveling Broadway production and returned home that evening with a change of heart.

“By the fourth scene, I was sold,” Tozier said, noting the story's plot twists, character development and stage challenges.

Truesdell said he especially loved the rolling scenes, in which sets changed fluidly throughout the show as the actors continue to perform.

“We have to coordinate actors, dancers, scenery and the stage crew. It's like a 12-round boxing match without sitting down,” he said.

Professionals were hired to train Margot Jezerc how to fly across the stage.

“I'm going to be a bit clumsy. I'm not even graceful on the ground,” said Jezerc, 17, a senior who plays the Fairy Godmother.

The show requires 175 costumes, and the scenery will span an unprecedented amount of space on stage.

Sixteen 20-foot-tall trees and six 16-foot shrubs — all made of plywood and painted by high school art students — will stretch the width and height of the platform.

Low-lying fog will give the illusion of an enchanted forest. A plywood house will feature exterior walls and a front door, until it's flipped and folded inside-out to instantly become the house's interior complete with a fireplace and ceiling.

Kevin Zebley, the high school's technology education teacher, is engineering and leading his students as they build the sets.

“The most complicated pieces are the three-dimensional horses made of plywood, chicken wire, and papier-mache, one of which is ridden by the prince,” Zebley said.

The onstage talent will clock more than 240 hours of rehearsal time before the show's opening.

The leads – senior Samantha Lucas, 17, who plays Cinderella, and senior John Neurohr, 17 who plays Prince Topher — are seasoned performers at North Allegheny and the Pittsburgh CLO Academy, a performing arts school.

“I can't wait to play a princess and bring the character to life,” Lucas said.

Neurohr is excited about the dragon-fighting scene, in which he slays the beast played by an actor on stilts.

“It's fun. I've never gotten to beat someone up on stage,” he said.

Thirty-two students are learning ballroom dancing.

“All the dances are waltzes. It's a lot of traditional posture, lifts, and big dance numbers that are classy and elegant,” said dance captain Trent Soyster, 18.

“The biggest challenge is to make it look effortless, like they're dancing on clouds,” choreographer Meredith Semon, 28, of West Newton said.

Three vocal coaches are working with the singers, and the orchestra pit is mastering the Broadway score of 14 songs.

“We're stretching the kids. It's educational. We're lucky in this district that our chorus, orchestra and band directors continuously push the music students to professional-grade music,” Tozier said.

“I have to keep reminding myself that these are high school kids. They're so talented,” Truesdell said.

Laurie Rees is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.