Face Off Theatre recently concluded its production of “Cinderella: The Remix” at the Civic’s Carver Center. WMUK’s Gordon Bolar has this review.
To appreciate “Cinderella: The Remix,” one needs to understand that sometimes an old story cries out for new interpretation and meaning.
Given the positive response from last Friday night’s audience, there were many attending this Face Off Theatre offering who appreciated the fairy tale rewrite and understood the message of the script.
This retold tale is set in a not-so-faraway land of Hip-Hop Hollywood, populated by glitzy producers like Khaliiid Canales-King’s Mo Money, and self-absorbed rappers like J Prince, portrayed by Justin Jacobs. When J holds auditions for his new DJ, a position sure to rocket the chosen artist to fame and fortune, our young Cinderella is drawn from her home mixer and turntables to try out. There’s only one problem. In this version of Hollywood, females need not apply.
True to the authoritarian Wicked Stepmother of the fairy tale, Markeva Love, as Bad Mamma Jamma, makes certain that Cinderella will be confined to the household chores of her basement room and rarely see the light of day, let alone the celebratory lights of a hip-hop dance floor.
Love’s condescending, brush-off manner in dealing with her stepdaughter is countered by blind favoritism shown to her son, a would-be DJ, Chocolate Ice. Played by Jusuf Bugura Jr. as one with little talent and even less step-brotherly love for his half-sister, this cold character is willing to pass Cinderella’s stellar DJ mix for his own at the auditions.
In viewing this remix it’s helpful to remember that many fairy tales, and indeed many plays, are, at their heart, about transformation. In some versions of “Cinderella” mice turn into horses pulling a magically changed pumpkin for a coach. Similar transformations are made in this show.
During her first scene, Nikita Jackson, in a winning performance in the show’s title role, carefully prepares the groundwork for her character’s later modifications. Clad in a humble pullover jumpsuit and headphones, and spinning records for her own enjoyment, Jackson’s modest and apologetic personality includes a helpful nature and concern for others.
Most importantly, in the early going, her Cinderella shows room for personal growth and the final transformation that ends this fairy tale in the “happily ever after” mode.
With help and inspiration from the energetic Shannon Hill, as Chin Chilla, Cinderella’s fur-clad rodent friend, Jackson’s character gains confidence in her own abilities as a DJ. The two hatch a plan to disguise Cinderella as a man for the evening ball, so that she can appear as J Prince introduces his new DJ. One of the evening’s more amusing episodes is a scene in which Hill instructs Cinderella in how to walk and talk like a man.
Help is also provided by Markeva Love in her secondary role as Cinderella’s fairy godmother, Hoperah. With a wave of her hand-held microphone, Love magically changes her viewers into an enthusiastic studio of supporters for the well-known afternoon live TV Show. Love’s Hoperah shows us that transformation can occur in both a character and an audience.
Although Jackson’s change into male attire and masculine persona as the mysterious DJ Sincere fools those at the hip-hop ball with her artistry, at least for a while, her transformation is yet to be completed.
One of the show’s more appealing moments is the slow-motion reveal in which Cinderella’s disguise is pulled away, staged by co-directors Bianca Washington and Gregory Miller. After a moment of shock and embarrassment just before midnight, Jackson’s character rises to take responsibility for her masquerade, as well as for the genius of her DJ riffs applauded by J Prince and guests at the ball.
Because “Cinderella: The Remix” is clearly aimed at younger audiences, the evening’s message of empowerment for younger women is delivered frequently and in no uncertain terms. Fortunately, this lesson, personified in Cinderella’s own empowerment, and spiced liberally with humor, is palatable and comes off as more teachy than preachy.
A few performance elements seemed to be lacking and could have improved the production. These include clarity of line delivery for some of the male performers, dance moves executed with more enthusiasm and precision, and finally musical hooks tempting both performers and audience to join in on dance floor celebrations.
Nevertheless, “Cinderella: The Remix” successfully demonstrates that the arc of familiar storylines can bend toward social justice in time tested fairy tales, as well as in the modern world.