The very first day of rehearsal, Courtney Markowitz says she told her fellow cast members: “I just want everyone to know I’m in crisis over how mean I have to be.” That’s because the veteran actress has been brought in to play the Stepmother role in Theatre Under the Stars’ production of Cinderella about to open at the Hobby Center.
Saying she’s a very tall actress who might well be called upon to play mean roles, Markowitz says, however, “This is my very first time playing the villain.
“It’s fun to approach her from the point of view what makes her the way that she is. Like any human I think all her meanness comes out of insecurity about herself and about her own daughters. Helps a little bit but still it not easy to be so mean especially to Brianna [Kaleen, playing Cinderella] who is just the sweetest human ever.”
But still, the actress who now lives in Katy with her family is afraid that all the children in her neighborhood who come to see the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, will never look at her the same way. She has fewer worries about her own young daughters, one of whom — the 7-year-old — has been running lines with her.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s version of Cinderella is full of classic songs like “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” As Markowitz puts it: “It’s one of those scores that if you grew up in musical theater, you’re used to hearing all the time.”
The dialog was been somewhat modernized along the lines of the 1997 Brandy and Whitney Houston televised version, although it is not an exact copy in any sense. “It’s sor tof an idea of a fairytale that it’s any time.
“There have been so many great versions of the Stepmother to draw from. I think she’s a little bit of a combination of all of those but it’s been really fun to play with our dynamics of a cast and making it all kind of make sense.”
Markowitz (most recently seen at TUTS as the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd this October) says the story is set in a generic medieval time with costumes carefully crafted by designer Colleen Grady. “Every single detail even the ones that I think from your seats down in the audience you won’t be able to see, are amazing. She chooses every single button for a reason.”
Others in the cast include Leading the cast Soara-Joye Ross as Godmother, Jason Schmidt as Christopher, Gemini Quintos as Grace, Sarah Sachi as Joy, Brian Mathis as King, Melrose Johnson as “Queen and Mark Ivy as Lionel. Cinderella is directed by Eboni Bell Darcy, music directed by John Cornelius, with choreography by Monica Josette.
In terms of the casting with a black Cinderella, Markowitz says she thinks Houston residents are far beyond thinking there is any problem with that (unlike the racist critiques in some countries following the live action remake of The Little Mermaid.) “With Houston being as diverse of a city as it is and seeing so much diverse representation in our cast I think is really, really special. We performed at the Thanksgiving Day parade this year. Seeing all these kids lined up on these streets for the parade, watching them watch a Cinderella who looks just like them was really, really touching.”
“A very old cartoon had a white Cinderella and this one doesn’t,” she says matter-of-factly.
The choreography is a mix of modern and classic ballroom, Markowitz says, which adds to the feeling that the story is timeless. In addition, she says, students from the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre perform some of the dances and three students from The River are included in the cast.
Asked why it was time for another production of Cinderella, Markowitz said:
“I think especially at this time of year nostalgia is such a huge part of the holidays and I think finding some comfort. Yes for children it’s great and I’m so excited to see all these little girls dressed as Cinderella, but as an adult I think we’re looking for nostalgia especially around the holidays. To feel that magic around this time of year is really special.”
Other than her character’s point of view, Markowitz says rehearsing for the show has been pretty easy. It helps, she says, that there is a lot of comedy written into her part and those of her two daughters. “It makes what we’re doing a little more forgivable so that’s good. And even though I am a garbage human being in this show, I look really good because my costumes are unbelievable.
Performances are scheduled for December 5-24 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information call 713-558-8887 or visit tuts.com. $40-$139.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
