The Pacack players put on an action-packed, funny, and touching spring musical from March 21 to 24. Their performances were a must-see whether the attendee was a fan of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” Hills Theatre, or both!
Similar to the classic Disney Cinderella movie, “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” enchants the audience with its music, comedy, and reinterpretation of a nostalgic story for all audiences. The crew created a magical set that entranced viewers with its use of colors, lights, and general design.
This was a show for the books and definitely a huge step in the right direction for my future and growth as a designer
— Senior Jocelyn Adereth
Senior scenic designer Jocelyn Adereth will study scenic design and technical direction in college, and she described the show as a challenge and a blast.
“I had a blast being able to design my final show at Pascack Hills. This was definitely a tough one, since a lot of scenic design is helping the actors tell the story, and ‘Cinderella’ is all about magic! I love that this show challenged me as a designer to think more out of the box…but also as a technical director, where I had to think about how to pull off the magic. This was a show for the books and definitely a huge step in the right direction for my future and growth as a designer,” she said.
The talented crew and cast are what made this musical a hit! Cast members include senior Bethany Chen as the one and only Ella, senior Ava Patelsky as the Madame, senior Cora Patelsky as step-sister Gabrielle, and sophomore Camilla Ambrosio as step-sister Charlotte.
Additional cast members include sophomore Anderson Moss as Prince Topher, sophomore Elijah Chen as Jean-Michel, freshman Joshua Lee as Lord Pinkleton, junior Rily Alexander as Lord Sebastian, and senior Hadyn Hopper as the Fairy Godmother.
With the accompaniment of live instruments, transformation dresses that dazzle the audience, shocking changes in the modern musical, chase scenes, and teamwork of the cast and crew to organize dances, songs, and scene changes.
Sophomore Anderson Moss played Prince Topher in the musical and reflected on his time working on the show.
Cinderella was such a wonderful show to be a part of, the story taught me a lot about myself and I loved sharing it with an audience
— Sophomore Anderson Moss
“Cinderella was such a wonderful show to be a part of, the story taught me a lot about myself and I loved sharing it with an audience. I had a great time learning the show and understanding the characters with all of my friends and I was happy we were all able to share such a unique experience,” he said.
Overall, the musical was not just entertaining for the audience but a great experience for the Pascack players. Director Allison Andresini put together a musical that Hills theatre students pulled off with style. Sophomore assistant director Ettie Eggers gave an enthusiastic response about her experience.
“The theatre community is one of the most energetic and fun communities, where we spend so much time together…The cast was incredible to work with, and the crew pulled the whole show together! Leading us to an absolutely wonderful performance for a show that is so technically difficult!” she said.
Eggers also spoke about working with the cast and crew, specifically the graduating seniors.
“Working with everybody was so fun, and it was truly amazing to get to work with our seniors this year…[they] are so incredibly talented and they deserved to have such a good show as their final one…[After the show,] seeing all these small kids with massive smiles and just pure joy that they got to meet Cinderella was the cutest thing I have ever seen. This show was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Hills,” she said.
Check out this gallery for photos from the performances!
