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Ella and Topher at center, full cast at the wedding at East High School

Photos submitted by Duluth East HS Theater and the County Seat Theater company.

The number of theater options and the number of nights in the week don’t completely balance out in Duluth anymore. I find that a wonderful treat, so on this final weekend of October, instead of moving snow, I had the opportunity to attend one high school production on the eastern side of Duluth, and one community production just slightly outside Cloquet. Magic, love, music, superstition, wickedness, and parental awe and responsibility made for an entertaining weekend.

New generation Cinderella has expectations from Topher

This fall, the students at Duluth East High School, directed by Peter Froehlingsdorf, with musical direction by Jerome Upton, presented Cinderella. Since Rodgers & Hammerstein created the musical for television in 1957, Froehlingsdorf and Upton worked with the 2013 revision made for the Broadway stage. This version has Cinderella(Bailey Stender) help Prince Topher(Ezra Prickett) see the injustices perpetrated by his Prime Minister Sebastian (Ben Churchill). At the same time, Jean-Michel(Nick van Loh) seeks to help the lower classes achieve a higher level with the society.
The romance is still present, as well as the music. Topher is captivated by Ella at the ball, the slipper is lost and later refitted to the proper foot. Sebastian is forced into an election with Jean-Michel, and most of the people live happily ever after.

Music and costumes to add a glow to the evening

Blake Peterson led the pit band backstage, and the singing was delightful all Friday evening. At the top of the list, Ella and the town castaway Crazy Marie(Emma Halstead) sing Impossible (things are happening every day) with gusto. Jean-Michel, as if stepping away from Les Miserables, sings Now is the Time, to help incite a sense of new freedom for the lower classes. The wedding and the reception filled the entire stage with pomp and color.
Of special mention were the double costume delights for both Ella (created by Kris Biles) and Crazy Marie(created by Kathy Grady). At the right moment, they swung their skirts around and changed from ordinary women into dashing young debutantes.

Something Wicked in Cloquet?

Twenty miles away, the haunting Ray Bradbury 1962 novella, Something Wicked This Way Comes was a challenging start to the fall season on the modest stage at the Encore Performing Arts Center in Cloquet. This County Seat Theater production was directed by sisters Mary Smith and Ruthie Breuer, and the both held acting roles as well. Two young neighbor boys, Will Halloway (Bridger McCorison) and Jim Nightshade(A.J. Maijala) get caught up in a dramatic lightning storm that brings a fantastical Carnival to their village. Before they get completely enslaved by Mr. Dark (Sean Biskey), Will’s librarian father(Rick Breuer) intercedes and brings goodness to the rescue of a wicked possibility.

A lot to absorb quickly

On this small stage, the first act, with all its many scenes and people, was a bit difficult to follow. Every few minutes a new character appeared, bringing new information to all of us in the audience who were trying to keep track. We did get to see a lot of different costumes, of course.

Evil and ambiguity give way to good sense

During the second act, the seductive power of the evil carousel became clearer, while Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch (Ruthie Breuer) worked hard to capture the two boys. In a wonderfully tense moment of confrontation, Mr. Halloway steps into the rotating carousel and forces all its power to surrender to his sense of goodness. Exhausted, father, son, and friend realize how important they each are to one another.

Amazing boys taking on complicated theater

As is common, junior high age boys who take the leading roles on stage capture the heart of the audience. Both McCorison and Maijala were intense and very intelligible from start to finish. The set crew moved pieces around in the dark rapidly, and the exciting carousel horses were colorful and hypnotizing, until their evil spell was broken. At the end, we understood the chaos of the first half and rejoiced with the family as they gained respect for their inter-generational strengths.