Theater Review

'Sisterella' kicks up its heels

By Sara Reich
Theater Editor

Somewhere between the divorce and the HBO special, Michael Jackson made the decision to attach his name to the marquee of Larry Hart's musical "Sisterella." As executive producer, the King of Pop has helped elevate Hart's contemporary retelling of the Cinderella tale to Broadway-ready standing. In fact, Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Productions and Disney's Miramax Films have already joined together to purchase the rights to the film and the Broadway show.
If you haven't already guessed, "Sisterella" isn't a picture-perfect tale about a glass-slippered, blonde-haired and blue-eyed peasant-turned-princess. With a predominantly African-American cast, the production takes a hip, hysterical look at the darker side of the classic fairy tale. It may seem odd that someone whose accomplishments include writing music for Kenny Rogers, Englebert Humperdinck and Ozzy Osborne could have the background and ability to transform the story into a hip, soulful, high energy musical--but Larry Hart (who wrote the play and stars in it) does just that.
The show is set in New York in 1912. The curtain opens during a funeral procession, as Ella Kensington's (Della Miles) father has just died. Later it is discovered that Ella is going to inherit $900 million from her father, a fact that leaves her stepmother Dahlia (Yvette Cason), and two stepsisters (Rain Pryor and Wanda L. Houston) quite jealous and disturbed. In an attempt to secure the inheritance for themselves, the evil stepfamily declares Ella to be incompetent and has her committed to an insane asylum.
The play stays true to the basic concept of the original tale. There is a Prince that unbelievably becomes smitten with Ella immediately after he meets her at the ball. There's even a fairy godfigure and a disgustingly happy ending. But you won't find Walt Disney's version of the evil stepmother acting like a sexpot and referring to Cinderella as she sings the lines, "the bitch don' lost her mind." In one scene Dahlia, the stepmother, chases Ella around a courtroom with an axe. Another obvious contrast between the two works is that Hart's fairy godfigure, Bobaloo Jackson (Ralph Cole, Jr.) is a fairy in every sense of the word. Godfather Bobaloo comes to answer Ella's prayers clad in six-inch patent leather platforms. The play is embellished with pop culture, as it is donned with symbolic references to figures like Madonna, Michael Jackson and the Village People. Anybody who watches MTV could recognize some of the hip-hop dance steps that grace the choreography.
Musically, the play is magnificent. The music is best described as rhythm and blues. The beat is energized; it has to be because of all the dancing incorporated into the show. Unfortunately, the stage at the Pasadena Playhouse is quite small, which poses an obvious problem for the dancers. There is a large cast and there simply isn't enough room for all the dancers to demonstrate their talents to the fullest degree. This is disappointing because the dancers are so clean and sharp. There is potential for much more excitement, and it is wasteful to allow their talents to go unused.
Della Miles, who plays the lead Ella, has a voice that could easily match pop diva Whitney Houston's. Her range is outstanding. Even Larry Hart, the show's writer, surprised the audience with his beautiful voice. But the true star of the show is Yvette Cason, who hilariously portrays the saucy, evil stepmother. Cason's voice is outstanding as well but it is her personality and charm on stage that is so intriguing. She struts her stuff as the archetypal bitchy hussy with such confidence that is seems she could carry the show on her own.
There is no doubt that "Sisterella" is one of the most professional and sophisticated musicals to hit the stage in Los Angeles. But there are several problems with the show that should be addressed before the play goes to Broadway. First, the play does not flow as far as the plot line. It is extremely choppy, and this is covered up with the intriguing talents of the cast. The script should be reworked, and the dancers should be given more time to strut their stuff. Many of the catchy and energized songs in the play seem dull because the ensemble does not take advantage of the beat. There is so much talent wasted, and this talent should be dedicated to fulfilling the task of making a great show even better.
"Sisterella" does justice to contemporary times by adding attitude and diversity to the classic fairy tale.