La Centerentola, the Italian version of Cinderella, comes to IU

This Friday evening, things are going to lighten up a bit at the Musical Arts Center. No one will collapse to the floor from consumption, and there will be no love left unrequited. In fact, this will be one of your few chances this season to see true love conquer all. Rossini's "Cenerentola" might sound bizarre, but it's nothing more than the story of the little ashen-faced girl Cinderella and her dreams of escaping from the clutches of her evil stepmother and stepsisters. \n"We're like cartoon characters," said graduate student Jen Feinstein, who is one of the singers cast as the title role.\nFeinstein said when it comes to the costumes in this show, "think huge, think gold, think ruffles." \nOr, as graduate student Georgina Joshi, one of the step sisters, put it, "They're works of art in clashing colors." Both singers found endless challenges and delights in the process of creating this bold two-dimensional world of good and bad, gold and ruffles, they said. Feinstein, who will be making her debut as a title role as she turns 21 (her birthday happens to be opening night), described the challenges of having to be so good and pure all of the time. \n"At first I felt like I had to be showing too much on my face," she said.\nFeinstein credits Vince Liotta with genius direction that has allowed all of the singers to lock into the right feel for the piece. \n"He staged the opera like a ballet," Feinstein explained. "We have very precise movements that have to happen on the right beats." \nAs the end of the rehearsal process approaches, Feinstein said portraying the sweet and innocent Cinderella has become much easier. \n"I don't have to do much," she said. "I just let other people do things to me."Michaelsen\nJoshi is one of those "other people." If Feinstein is the gold, Joshi plays the ruffles, portraying Clorinda, one of the evil stepsisters. Joshi said she found the two-dimensional world of her character a challenge. \n"You have to think as if you were this selfish and this mean, and you have to keep it up for the entire show," she said. Despite the challenge, Joshi said she found the fun in her character. \n"Being evil is very fun," she confessed with a sly grin. \nShe described the moment she put on her costume as "the moment when it all came together. I realized how hideous I was." This is Joshi's first shot at the big stage, and she said she is ready. \n"I'm over the moon," she said. "This is my favorite opera."\nBoth singers give high praises to the orchestra, the unsung hero of the opera, for their artistry and skill. \n"They're playing into the character of the music," Feinstein said. \nSenior Emily Johnson had her own spin on things as a violist in the orchestra. \n"It's different from any other kind of concert," she said. \nShe remarked on the relief of not having to be the entire focus for an evening and instead becoming "part of this glittery, sparkly thing."\nDespite the glitter, all is not gold in Cinderella's fantasyland. While she might win her prince in the end -- played by graduate student Bryon Grohman in this cast -- it's not quite what Feinstein was hoping for. \n"We never get to kiss," Feinstein said. "Can you believe that? It was decided that Cinderella would consider it too racy to kiss in public."\n-- Contact staff writer John Glover at jrglover@indiana.edu.