The 1998 film \u201cEver After: A Cinderella Story\u201d captured the hearts of many moviegoers, who were invested in the story of Danielle de Barbarac, a fearless young woman who comes from humbling beginnings, challenges a prince and forges her own happily ever after. The film, which starred Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston, tells the story of the woman behind the mythical story of Cinderella. A new musical version of \u201cEver After,\u201d adapted by Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler and Kate Wetherhead, has a similar storyline but brings a new twist to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Phoenix Theatre Company is putting on the musical through June 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The show has been in development for about 15 years. Other versions of the musical have been put on in cities such as New York, Atlanta and Millburn, New Jersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Phoenix production features a cast and crew of New York- and Phoenix-based talent. It is being directed by Marlo Hunter, a film, television and theater director and choreographer known for her work on \u201cA Hanukkah Carol, or GELT TRIP! The Musical,\u201d \u201cAmerican Reject,\u201d \u201cCat Kid Comic Club: The Musical\u201d and \u201cMystic Christmas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The production stars Drama Desk nominee Jason Gotay from \u201cBring It On: The Musical\u201d and \u201cSpider-Man: Turn Off the Dark\u201d as Prince Henry; Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk winner David Garrison from \u201cA Day in Hollywood\/A Night in the Ukraine,\u201d \u201cWicked,\u201d \u201cTitanic,\u201d \u201cTorch Song Trilogy\u201d and \u201cMarried\u2026with Children,\u201d as Leonardo da Vinci and Drama Desk winner Lisa Howard from \u201cThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,\u201d \u201cPriscilla, Queen of the Desert\u201d and \u201cIt Shoulda Been You,\u201d as Danielle\u2019s stepmother Rodmilla.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other notable Broadway veterans in the production include Andrea Macasaet from \u201cSIX,\u201d Jesse Sharp from \u201cBeetlejuice,\u201d Michael Kuhn from \u201cSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,\u201d and Luke Kolbe Mannikus from \u201cPippin.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
New York actress Bailee Endebrock is playing the role of Danielle. The actress was a swing, playing five parts, on Broadway and portrayed factory worker Monteen on the first national tour of \u201cParade.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She has also appeared on screen in \u201cMiranda\u2019s Victim\u201d and \u201cEvil\u201d and been onstage in \u201cMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,\u201d \u201cRock of Ages,\u201d \u201cMamma Mia!,\u201d \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain,\u201d \u201cA Chorus Line,\u201d \u201cSondheim on Sondheim,\u201d \u201cBring It On\u201d and \u201cThe Sound of Music.\u201d<\/p>\n
The production of \u201cEver After\u201d is part of The Phoenix Theatre Company\u2019s commitment to be part of the development of new works.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new romantic musical seeks to tell a thoughtful, endearing and powerful story, combined with a lush, fantastical score.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is Endebrock\u2019s first time working with Phoenix Theatre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said with \u201cEver After,\u201d everyone involved has helped to shape the show in some way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something so exciting about developing a new musical, really putting your mark on something and contributing to the creative process\u2026Our team\u2019s been here the entire time, the director, the composer, the lyricist, the book writer, at rehearsals all day, every day. Everyone\u2019s super invested and very collaborative. Everyone\u2019s working together tirelessly every day to shape the show into the best version that we can make it,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the biggest challenges to doing a new show was that changes were still being made during the preview process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe perform the show at night, and then the next day, we have a rehearsal, get notes and make changes. Sometimes it\u2019s small changes, sometimes big changes of a whole new scene or moving a song to a different spot in the show\u2026Then that night, you perform that version of the show. Then, you repeat the next day. So, it\u2019s constantly evolving, which can be tough and stressful, but that\u2019s also the fun of a new musical in the preview process. Each night you are trying something new and seeing what works and seeing what doesn\u2019t,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Endebrock grew up in a musical family and started singing and dancing at a young age. She started doing musicals around age 9.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just always loved it so much and very much knew that that was the path I wanted to take,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Endebrock always loved princess characters as a kid. She grew up watching the 1997 version of \u201cRodgers and Hammerstein\u2019s Cinderella\u201d starring Brandy Norwood and Whitney Houston and the 2004 film \u201cA Cinderella Story\u201d with Hilary Duff, along with the 1950 Disney film \u201cCinderella.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Endebrock had watched the movie \u201cEver After\u201d prior to auditioning for the show. She said that the musical stays true to the original film while adding to the story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe movie is so iconic with Drew Barrymore, and it has such a fierce fan base. The musical is a true adaptation. It expands on everything you know and love about the movie and heightens it for the stage and the audience. It\u2019s a true retelling of the Cinderella story. It grounds these characters in a really fresh way. If you\u2019re a fan of the movie, you will find all of the things you love about the movie in this show and then some,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Endebrock said the show expands on Danielle\u2019s character in some ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you are able to see little moments that the movie couldn\u2019t allow for. There are some more flashbacks, and you\u2019re getting a peek inside of her mind at times. When you move a movie to the stage, and you are able to expand on that theatricality, it allows for more opportunities to see what a character is thinking and feeling in certain moments, where maybe it\u2019s limited on screen. I do think there are some beautiful moments where they have achieved that for Danielle,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Endebrock is trying to showcase how complex Danielle is as a character with her portrayal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s so passionate and openhearted. She\u2019s very smart, well-read, funny, witty and determined, She\u2019s so strong. She\u2019s really got it all. I do think I have some of these qualities\u2026I think playing her has allowed me to step a little more into all of those qualities that I may struggle with myself,\u201d Endebrock said. \u201cIt is the most feminist version of the Cinderella story. She really takes her story into her own hands, and she has agency within herself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Endebrock hopes that audiences, especially girls, feel inspired by the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really powerful and empowering story, especially for young people. I\u2019m excited for young girls to come see this show, feel empowered and see that they can take control of their own circumstances in their own life,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Audiences are encouraged to come out dressed in fairytale or Renaissance-inspired attire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For her role, Endebrock learned how to sword fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had sword fighting lessons early on. We choreographed this big sword fighting sequence with several members of the cast. I had never done fight choreography in that way before\u2026 The whole entire process, from holding the sword, to doing the choreography, to executing it and making it look realistic, was new to me,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although the characters have accents in the \u201cEver After\u201d film, in this version of the musical, they don\u2019t speak in a dialect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The show takes place during the French Renaissance. It uses some special effects to create the illusion of fire and smoke and features costumes that fit with the era.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them were built for this production, for our cast and these characters\u2026 The detail, the fabrics and the rich colors, they\u2019re so specific to this time period, and they\u2019re really, really gorgeous,\u201d Endebrock said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phoenix Theatre Company\u2019s production of \u201cEver After\u201d<\/p>\n
WHEN: Through Sunday, June 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
WHERE: Phoenix Theatre Company, Dr. Stacie J. and Richard J. Stephenson Theatre, 1825 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix\u00a0<\/p>\n
COST: Tickets start at $60\u00a0<\/p>\n