The efforts by the Paramount Theatre’s property and scenery departments to construct carriage horses for its production of “Cinderella” did not have the crews running around in circles, but they did need the help of a merry-go-round.
“I thought we could use a wire frame for a horse, but I realized I couldn’t freehand construct a horse,” said Jesse Gaffney, properties manager at the Paramount Theatre.
“I needed a horse to start with. I thought, ‘A carousel has a horse,’ so I called the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora, which has a carousel, but they couldn’t get the right people to help me. Then Jonathan Allsup, our production manager, suggested the carousel at Blackberry Farm in Aurora, and the people there were very helpful.”
Based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, “Cinderella” is the story of a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters. Cinderella dreams of a better life, and with the help of her fairy godmother, she is transformed into a princess and finds her prince.
In the show, four horses lead the pumpkin coach, which Cinderella’s fairy godmother made for Cinderella so that she could attend the ball.
The Paramount Theatre production of “Cinderella” features music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The show was adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs from the teleplay by Robert L. Freedman. Original orchestrations are by Robert Russell Bennett, adapted by Tom Helm, and with orchestration reductions by Macy Schmidt.
“Cinderella” will be presented at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sundays from Nov. 10 to Jan. 9, 2022, at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
“Cinderella” is suggested for ages 5 and up. No shows will be presented on Nov. 25, Dec. 23-25, and no evening show on Dec. 31. Added performances include 7 p.m. Nov. 23; 3 p.m. Nov. 26; 1:30 p.m. Dec. 30; 3 p.m. Dec. 31, and 1:30 p.m. Jan. 6, 2022.
The Paramount Theatre production of “Cinderella” is directed and co-choreographed by Brenda Didier.
“It was my idea to have the horses move and be lit up from within,” Didier said. “But the molding of the horses was Jesse’s idea. Jesse is a genius.”
The first step of the process was to wrap several layers of plastic wrap on a horse so as to not damage the Blackberry Farm carousel horse.
“We wanted to leave it exactly as we found it,” Gaffney said.
Then, several layers of duct tape were used with chicken wire in between each layer of duct tape for more stability.
“So when we took the mold off, it held its shape.” Gaffney said.
Workers cut the duct tape mold down the center and took it off the carousel horse, added wood to the mold by the ears and the shoulders for stability, and then taped it back together. At this point, a type of insulation foam was poured into the mold.
“We filled up the legs, then let it expand,” Gaffney said. “Then we slowly filled up the stomach and let it expand until the horse was filled with foam. Then we wrapped it with Bubble Wrap and more duct tape to hold the shape.”
Once the crews had the horse form, wire was attached with staples to the duct-taped, foam-filled horse.
“The horse wire frame is made in two halves,” said Gaffney, who was inspired by walking around neighborhoods last winter and seeing ornamental reindeer on lawns. “We took it apart and removed the duct-taped horse leaving us with a wire frame of a horse.”
After the two wire frame halves were reattached, zip ties were used to string plastic crystals and lights.
“It’s like stringing lights on a Christmas tree,” Gaffney said. “The lights inside the horse will be reflecting the crystals.”
The finished product measures about four feet long and four-and-a-half feet high. All four horses for the pumpkin coach are made from the same mold.
The scenery and property departments also outfitted the horses so that they will have movement.
“There are wheels with pieces like bike pedals,” Gaffney said. “The motorized carriage will push the bike pedals so that the horses’ legs move up and down. The wheels under the horses won’t be seen by the audience because they are painted black and there will be fog on the ground.”
Construction of the four horses progressed in waves with staff members working on them in between other projects. Three people from the scenery department and three people from the properties department worked on the horses.
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“It was a collaborative process,” Gaffney said. “Each horse took about 12 man hours to complete, so with four horses it took about 48 total man hours.”
Didier believes it is important to make the technical aspects of the show work out flawlessly.
“There is lots of magic that must be executed safely and properly,” said Didier about the pumpkin coach or transforming a servant’s dress into a gown. “These are all important moments in the show that have to work.”
What also has to work for Didier is the interpretation of “Cinderella” that is presented to the Paramount audiences.
“The version we are doing is not the Rodgers and Hammerstein 2013 Broadway revival version,” Didier said. “We are doing the version based on the television production in 1997. That version spoke to me.”
The original Rodgers and Hammerstein “Cinderella” premiered on television in 1957 with Julie Andrews in the title role. The show was remade for television in 1965 in a production that starred Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella and Stuart Damon as the Prince.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” was remade a third time for TV in 1997. Adapted from Hammerstein’s book, Robert L. Freedman modernized the script by updating its themes and rewriting its main character into a stronger hero.
The 1997 version featured a racially-diverse cast, with Brandy Norwood (better known as Brandy) as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as Cinderella’s fairy godmother, Bernadette Peters as Cinderella’s stepmother, Paolo Montalbán as the prince and Whoopi Goldberg as the queen.
Brandy was the first Black actress to portray Cinderella on screen. In addition to the diverse cast, several songs from other Rodgers and Hammerstein productions were incorporated into the 1997 film to augment its score.
Similar to the casting in the 1997 television version, the Paramount production will have a multiracial cast.
“We have a diverse cast representing numerous cultures,” Didier said.
“Not everyone knows ‘Cinderella’ in this way,” Didier continued. “But people know that if they come to the Paramount, they will see something incredible.”
‘Cinderella’
When: Nov. 10-Jan. 9, 2022
Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
Tickets: $36-$79
Information: 630-896-6666; paramountaurora.com
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance reporter for The Aurora Beacon-News