Review: The Glass Slipper

CEBU, Philippines - The fate of a girl rests in a magical slipper, which ultimately gives her a happily ever after. This is the Cinderella story. But in the recent Cebu play The Glass Slipper held at the CAP Art Center, this favorite fairytale is given a twist, wherein the fairy godmother waxes cynical, and the step sisters (played by Eddil Canete and Lord Latonio) are so comical and vibrant that the crowd was brought to fits of laughter.

The headstrong stepmother was played by Eugene Ramirez, whose onstage presence made us fear her as much as Cinderella did.

The song “In My Own Little Corner” was performed splendidly by Adrienne Tenazas Lee (Cinderella). She described in the song how all her adventures, dreams, and hopes happen in one little ordinary chair, but which brings her the most comfort in a house with no love. Cinderella acted out of the box and was able to portray characters that she wanted to be, and that the audience, in turn, wanted to come true for her.

The musical number “Impossible, It’s Possible” sung by the Fairy Godmother (Charlene Virlouvet) presented to Cinderella the possibility and impossibility of magic. A dash of cynicism coming from the magical person, who was supposed to have the most belief in magic, makes this musical different from our favorite bedtime story.

The cast gave formidable performances and made the audience part of the play. We oftentimes come to watch a play and expect events to happen as we know them to be, but this play surprisingly provided us a different, more complex side of the story. The play was directed by Raymond Ordono and choreographed by Jose Galeon.