For Director Joshua Lehto, Capital City Production's latest show, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella," was a personal project, one that brought back childhood memories and beloved experiences.
Lehto, a self-described military brat, said he moved a lot as a child and, when living in Italy with his parents, only had three movies available to watch. One of those was the 1965 version of the musical written for television by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and it was the one he watched most.
"It is absolutely my favorite show. I sang these songs with my mom," Lehto said, recalling how in high school, after he got his very first job and his first paycheck, he bought tickets for his mother and himself to see the school's production of that show.
Not only was it a special experience with his mom, who died about five years ago, Lehto said, but it was his first time seeing a play, sparking his lifelong love of theater.
The musical is based on the classic fairy tale, but with some tweaks to the story. The musical was later turned into a Broadway show, with a few more tweaks to further modernize the story. When the rights were released for community theaters, Lehto said he quickly snapped it up.
One of the reasons he loves this particular version is that Cinderella is far more empowered and takes control of her own life, instead of being the passive character who simply waits for the prince to find her. In this version, Cinderella gets involved in politics, urging the prince to listen to the poor people in the kingdom, and actively chooses to leave her shoe as a clue for the prince in how to find her. As the father of two daughters, Lehto said, he particularly likes these aspects of the musical, along with its core message of choosing kindness and offering forgiveness.
"It's a new telling of the same story," Lehto said. "We're in a different time. We don't want to teach little girls 'you're just pretty.' That doesn't sound relevant to me. It's about choosing kindness without circumstances and then changing the world just by being a positive beacon in it."
Lehto said he started working on the show around February or March, beginning to visualize the set and how he wanted things to be presented. The more than 40 cast and crew members began working in May.
Michael Brand, music director for the show, began working with Capital City Productions before he even got settled in the state. The Wisconsin native had been finishing up work in Illinois when he accepted the position as choir director for Jefferson City's new Capital City High School. Brand then quickly got involved in the planned production, essentially becoming a co-director with Lehto, he said.
Brand said he and Lehto wanted the show to have much more of a "choral sound," something Lehto said was definitely achieved in the way the choir seemed to envelope the stage with their vocals, helping to transport audience members into the story.
"They've really worked their butts off," Brand said of the cast. "It's beautiful music it's just a beautiful show."
Curtis Sudduth plays Lord Pinkleton, the prince's herald, in the show. Sudduth has performed in a variety of shows in Jefferson City and said this production of "Cinderella" has been a really fun show to be a part of.
"You're going to be blown away," Sudduth said. "All the principal players are really strong. The bar has been raised and they're meeting it."
Amy Schneider plays the title role of Cinderella, whose name is actually Ella, but her stepmother changes it as another way to tease the unwanted stepdaughter. Schneider, 23, said she began in local theater when she was 19, noting she didn't try earlier because of her shyness. She said the show has been a lot of fun, noting how much she loves the story because of it's positive message.
"It's got more heart," she said.
"It subverts your expectations," added Alex Armstrong, who plays the prince, known in the show as Prince Topher.
The 17-year-old said he has been performing in local theater for most of his life, noting he has done more than 20 shows and always loved theater, especially musical theater.
"This is what I've always done," he said.
Armstrong and Schneider said they've been friends for a really long time, which has helped their on-stage chemistry. Armstrong said people have come up to them after the show to tell them how much they really believed the couple was in love.
"People can tell on stage that we have chemistry," he said.
Laura Vedenhaupt, crew member and acting stage manager, said the biggest moment for the crew is the big transformation scene, where Cinderella's rags are transformed into a beautiful gown, a pumpkin is made into a grand carriage and forest creatures are turned into footmen and horses.
"It's a concert," Vedenhaupt said. "Everything has to go at the right time."
She said there's about seven members of the technical team backstage and they don't actually get to see the transformation scene from their spots backstage, but they can hear the audience's reaction. Vedenhaupt related an anecdote about a small child who was at the show, fidgeting and not really paying too close attention until that scene. From that moment, she said, the child was transfixed.
"We love that reaction," she said with a laugh. "It's our goal every night to make that transformation as magical as possible."
The show opened last week and cast members said the reaction of the audience has been phenomenal. Armstrong said it's difficult for a cast to know what works until they're in front of an audience, and seeing the reaction of those in attendance has been wonderful.
Capital City Productions will continue "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" tonight, with doors opening at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the performance at 7:30 p.m. The show will also be performed Friday and Saturday at the same times, as well as a Saturday matinee, where doors open at 11:30 a.m., dinner is at noon and the performance is at 1 p.m. The same schedule will be followed Aug. 22-24.
Capital City Productions partners with area nonprofits for every show, donating a portion of the proceeds to whatever cause was selected. According to the organization's website, since 2016, Capital City Productions has donated more than $7,000 to 20 different local nonprofits. For this show, the nonprofit is the Warrior Princess Project, an "empowerment initiative" founded by Tim Tinnin that helps women and girls emotionally throughout their battle with cancer.
For more information, including ticket availability, visit capitalcityproductions.org. Capital City Productions is located at 1200 Linden Drive.