SHARON—”Sassy Cinderella,” the first full length play by Michael Kevin Baldwin, will debut on Saturday, Aug. 24, with 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. performances at the Sharon Playhouse.
Baldwin is the education and associate artistic director of the Playhouse who has an extensive history with the regional theater.
He says that he clearly remembers when he was 10 years old he auditioned for a role there and discovered the magic of theater. He says he knew that it would be his career choice even at that early age and feels how important it is that now that he is in charge of the Youth Theater, that he can provide opportunities for kids to step into that same magic.
“Sassy Cinderella” is a take-off on the classic fairy tale. The Brothers Grimm wrote one of the most popular versions and named the main character Aschenputtel, which translates to the Little Ash Girl or Cinderella.
At the heart of the traditional tale of Cinderella is the relationship of an abusive stepmother and her two evil stepdaughters with their younger half daughter/sister, who they treat terribly and call Cinderella. All are invited to a royal ball, but while the mother and sisters get dressed grandly, they have no intention to taking Cinderella with them. Nonetheless, Cinderella’s fairy godmother appears and grants Cinderella’s wish to go to the ball. She provides her with a coach, servants, a dress and perfectly fitted glass slippers.
Baldwin’s “Sassy Cinderella” has turned the tables on the old version of the story and has given the youngest sister an overdose of sass and entitlement to a point where she’s an egomaniac. She is the evil character who needs to learn a lesson, while the older sisters and their mother (who prefers to be called “Barb”) only want to be friendly and have fun. Instead of a fairy godmother, there is a fairy godpapa to grant wishes.
Baldwin has experience in acting, directing and has written one act plays before. “Sassy Cinderella” is his first full length creation. He was inspired to write it in 2020 when he started a Sharon Playhouse Performing Arts Residency at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville. He wanted to produce a play for third and fourth graders but couldn’t find anything relevant and funny that would give somewhat equal stage exposure to the kids who wanted to be in it.
Plotlines usually had a hero or two with an ensemble cast to compliment the lead characters. Members of the ensemble were hardly fully developed characters, but they wanted to be. That provided him with the impetus to create a one-act play for 11 child actors. He has since adapted it for a larger cast of 20, included first to fifth graders, and added one song, “Shake Your Ass,” at the end.
Instead of farm animals in the old version of “Cinderella,” Baldwin created house pets with personalities. They include a turtle, a goldfish, a guinea pig, a parakeet, an iguana and a bulldog. They are more than endearing side characters, as they also narrate the play.
Baldwin credits the Playhouse playwriting class last spring with helping him expand his original creation. He said the classes enabled him to view his work from multiple perspectives and gave him accountability because he knew his teacher and fellow classmates were waiting to see what he came up with each week. It also helped him mine the comedy and emotional arc of his 45-minute play and gave him the opportunity to hear it read aloud.
Though Baldwin writes alone, he says his most important sounding board and collaborator in his work is his husband, Will Nash Broyles, who is an experienced actor, singer, dancer, musician, director choreographer and designer.
“There are so many reasons that make being in the theater a magical and rewarding experience. I can remember only a few years ago when a kid came to us who wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone. She was closed and drawn. The more she got interested in theater, the more she changed, not unlike ‘Sassy Cinderella.’ Now, only three years later, she looks you in the eye, smiles and speaks with confidence. It’s really the best kind of magic,” said Baldwin.
Sam LaFrage, a leading teaching artist with the Barrington Stage will be directing the play. Sponsors Avele Conlogue and Mike Keating have underwritten a video recording.
Baldwin said he is dedicating “Sassy Cinderella” to the late Mary Graf, “the sassy lassie who loved her role as a volunteer with the Sharon Playhouse YouthStage and was loved back by everyone.”
Tickets for the show are available now at www.sharonplayhouse.org.
