“Cinderella! Where Are My Background Singers?!" will take the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ford-Crawford Hall in Simon Music Center.
Brendan Sullivan, a senior studying classical guitar, said he and co-director Matthew Reichenberger, a senior studying piano performance, wanted to present their own take on “Cinderella” because the Jacobs School of Music ballet department will perform Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” in April.
Sullivan and Reichenberger are calling the show a sung ballet. It is a dance performance where dialogue is sung in order to provide context for the story. A traditional ballet does not include speaking parts.
Sullivan said the story is about Tony and Luna, whom Cinderella sets up on a blind date. Throughout the story, Tony’s parents attempt to kill Luna, and she ends up on trial for a murder she didn’t commit.
Freshman Antonio Rosario, who plays Tony’s father, said he wants the audience to have a distinctive experience.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Rosariosaid. “I want them to take away a feeling of fulfillment that they couldn’t otherwise get from any other event.” Their production does not share many similarities with the original ballet other than the title, Sullivan said.
“It’s so innovative that it has nothing to do with that,” Sullivan said.
Reichenberger and Sullivan founded the Furioso Project, their comedic musical duo, two years ago. Sullivan described their music as a cross between classical and pop music. Their goal is to make people laugh, and not to sound perfect.
“We like doing weird music and weird improvised speech and singing, and it was really something that was just for us,” Reichenbergersaid. “All of a sudden, people started liking our weird stuff.”
Reichenberger and Sullivan did not have ballet experience before they started working on the show. They are taking a ballet class this semester.
Some of the performers are studying ballet at IU while others were chosen specifically because of their lack in dance experience. Sullivan said he wanted this divide in the cast because it creates a balance between professionalism and silliness.
“It was an opportunity to incorporate some more comedic dancing,” Sullivan said.
Last year, the Furioso Project won the sixth annual Innovation Competition organized by Project Jumpstart, a student organization that supports Jacobs students’ entrepreneurial and creative endeavors. Project Jumpstart is one of the sponsors of “Cinderella! Where Are My Background Singers?!”
“My impression is they just want to present new takes on music and performance and add an element of comedy in there,” said Project Jumpstart Manager Elizabeth Yao. “We believe in their innovative capabilities and their creativity.”
Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations for Wheeler Mission, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the homeless, according to the Wheeler Mission website.
