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Youth & the Arts

Dinner and a Show: Cinderella Casts a Spell on Audience

By Katie Jillions and Juliet Piccone

This month, we headed out to Media, Pa. for a production of Cinderella. Media is an old-fashioned town perfect for an outing and is only a short ride from Philadelphia, Wilmington, or South Jersey. Period architecture and old-fashioned store fronts on State Street make it a delightful town to walk, talk and shop in before a show. We started our day with a play at the Hedgerow Theatre, then made our way to the Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant, and ended with some window shopping and dessert at O’Malley’s Ice Cream Pub.

The Hedgerow Theatre is small and was originally a gristmill. Built in 1840, the mill produced grain until the building was converted for producing bobbins and wooden boxes. In 1904, the building opened as a community center, which became the center of life in Rose Valley. Presently, the building is solely a theatre. The Theatre produces a variety of shows throughout the year, and many are children’s productions. Cinderella had a relatively small cast of seven, with one actor under the age of 13. Several more were young adults.

This season’s Cinderella, by Juliet Grey Kelsey, is an adaptation of the Brothers’ Grimm version of the classic fairytale, making it seem more like a cozy bedtime story and less like a typical formula driven Disney production. Even the architecture of the Theatre--spotlight--washed stonewalls, stadium seating, padded bench seats, and exposed hand-hewn ceiling beams--helped establish the setting of Cinderella. The play differs from popular versions of the story in minor ways: Cinderella and the Prince are both given magic beans by a magician, and mice and pumpkins do not factor into the story.

The prince was the best character. He was so full of energy. He walked right into the audience several times and even slid the glass slipper on the feet of some young girls in the audience. Marianna, a fifth-grader, said, “I loved when the prince came into the audience. It made me feel like I was in the play.” The Stepsisters expressed more selfishness than meanness toward Cinderella. Kitty especially seemed to have fun with her self-indulgences.

The Fairy Godmother surprised us with a gritty performance by a real senior citizen, rather than the typical cotton-candy Fairy Godmother you usually see on stage. Judging by the audience’s reaction, parents and children alike enjoyed the performance. I thought it was so clever and such a cute idea how some of the little girls in the audience dressed up as Disney princesses; we saw a Belle and several Cinderellas!

The set was simple, consisting of tables and a chair against the backdrop of the Theatre’s bare stonewalls and rafters. Dramatic lighting effects announced the arrival of the Fairy Godmother and the coach. The musical score, written by Juliet Grey Kelsey, balanced age-appropriate dialogue with pleasant songs that communicated the feelings of the characters.

The production ran for about 50 minutes, making it very easy for young children to sit through, leaving us plenty of time for our State Street excursion afterwards. At the end of their performance, the characters joined the audience in the lobby for cookies and juice, while signing autographs and answering questions. Cinderella is a perfect choice to see with your children on a rainy Saturday morning or to add some culture to your weekend. The Hedgerow Theatre even offers summer camps and theatre school for children.

For more information, you can call (610) 565-4211, visit their Web site, www.hedgerowtheatre.org, or visit the Theatre at 64 Rose Valley Road, Media, PA. Cinderella will be playing at the Hedgerow Theatre on Saturdays at 11 a.m. until March 25.

While you’re in Media…

Lunch: We chose to eat at the Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant. Susan from the Hedgerow Theatre recommended Iron Hill because it is a town favorite which offers great food for a reasonable price, and it contains its very own brewery. We were seated quickly and ordered off of its lunch menu which had all kinds of soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, appetizers and brick oven pizzas. Everything we ordered was brought to our table quickly and was very tasty. The placemats describe the process for making beer, and you can view their equipment through a window that allows people to peer into the brewing chambers. The eloquent décor is new, comfortable, spacious and clean. We sat in a giant booth that held the six of us with room to spare. If you’re in Media and looking for a great meal, stop at 30 East State Street. Look up the Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant at www.ironhillbrewery.com or call (610) 627-9000.

Desert: After a filling lunch, we made our way to O’Malley’s Ice Cream Pub on State Street. O’Malley’s used Richmond’s Ice Cream to create sundaes and milkshakes. We chose, and enjoyed, their classic Hot Fudge Sundae and a chocolate milkshake, but there was a wide assortment of flavors available. The service was very good and, if you can forgive the tired and dated décor, a visit to O’Malley’s takes you back to the corner sweet shop of yesterday.

Katie Jillions is a Sophomore at Holy Cross High School. Juliet Piccone is a Sophomore at Moorestown High School.