By NICK VILLALOBOS
Student Writer
Northwestern’s theater season kicked off with “Cinderella Waltz,” a production directed by senior Tracy Meza.
The doors opened for “Cinderella Waltz” last Thursday, Friday and Saturday with larger crowds than usual.
Senior Speech/Theatre major Tracy Meza from Orlando, Fla., brought to life the whimsical, fun-filled extravaganza of a play written by Don Nigro. Meza said, “This process has been educational, challenging, emotional and extremely time consuming.”
The hard work by Meza, as well as the others who helped bring this production to life, paid off in a huge way.
One way this play was set apart from many in the past is its creative utilization of special effects and audio throughout the duration of the play. This really benefitted the production, spicing it up. There were splashes of water from a life-size well (using a hydraulic system) and stuffed ducks falling from the ceiling. The special effects were extremely effective and creative. My only negative note would be that the audio did seem to struggle in a few parts throughout the production, volume wise, but not so much that it affected the comedy and effectiveness of the production.
Lighting was also a key attribute on the technical side that contributed to the success of the play. The lighting crew did a great job at using the lighting system to portray what time of day, as well as directing the attention of the audience to where the dialogue was taking place.
My favorite aspect of the technical side of “Cinderella Waltz” was the overall appearance and decoration of the stage. Meza did a phenomenal job designing the set. It was clear that she and her technical crew took great time and attention to detail in creating the set, right down to hand-thatched roofs and a painted stage floor. Mickey Jordan, an actor in the production, assisted with the scenic design of much of the set, particularly the painting.
Costumes and makeup were appropriate and looked great. Costume designer Alicia Hall, also an actress in the show, did a great job of sewing and reconstructing all of the costumes. Makeup artist, Michelle Penner did a wonderful job aging several of the characters.
Now to the acting side of the production, I felt that every actor played their character very well. Senior English major Natalie Sacket did an amazing job as the lead role, Rosey Snow. The way she portrayed her character was very well done. This was Sacket’s fifth and final performance on the Northwestern stage.
Trenton Judd, senior Speech/Theatre major at NWOSU, as Zed, and Hayden Nickel, junior Speech/Theatre major, as Goneril, also did an amazing job at portraying their characters.
This was Judd’s sixth performance and Nickel’s fifth on the Northwestern stage.
Charlie Wylie ,senior English Education major, as Mr. Snow; Karlie Klager, sophomore nursing major, as Reagan; Nathan Sacket, senior computer science major, as Prince Alfred; Mickey Jordan, junior Speech/Theatre major, as Troll; and Taylor Morris, junior mass communications major, as Mother Magee, provided great hysterical comic relief with their characters.
On the script side, the jokes were hilarious for the most part, though some were a bit on the dirty side, contributing to this production’s rating of PG-13. The audience was laughing aloud for much of the production. The script did a great job connecting with the audience. The use of many references did a great job appealing to both an older and younger generation. The jokes were well-executed by the actors. The inclusion of intellectual and educational jokes was a great addition to the script.
For those who missed “Cinderella Waltz,” you certainly missed a great performance by the actors and a wonderful creation by the director. Meza did a wonderful job at designing and directing the production, and made a great creation.