The choice was Cinderella or the Sound of Music. Either way, it was to be a show where Julie Andrews was the original lead.
Last September, musical theatre 11/12 students at Pinetree secondary lined up to read parts from both scripts. Then, they were asked to sing a few bars so drama teacher Natalee Fera could hear their voices.
In the end, the Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella won, with Fera casting two Grade 11 students she had known since her Summit middle years as the stars of the fairytale: Madison Green, playing the poor girl turned princess, and Taylor Vander Baaren as her beloved.
Green said she was thrilled to be chosen as Cinderella but also a little nervous. "It's a lot of pressure because everyone's looking at you," the 16-year-old said.
Still, the stage isn't anything new to Green, whose parents are actors and her uncle, Lochlyn Munro, is a famous film and T.V. actor.
A voice student with Gina Oh at the Caulfield School of Dance and a dance student at the Port Moody School of Dance, Green appeared in Pinetree's Oliver while still at Summit middle and, last year, she was picked to play the annoying Patty Simcox in Grease at Pinetree; she was also in the world premiere of The Bullying Games, a play penned by Mandy Tulloch based on the experiences of School District 43 students.
For Vander Baaren, 17, it will be his first time acting with Green, whom he has known since Grade 6. And though he has been taking private vocal lessons for two years, it'll also be his first time dancing in public. "I'm going to give it my best shot," he said.
Both agree the best scene is when Cinderella appears at the top of the stairs - perfectly coiffed, in a cream-colour dress that lights up - and locks eyes with the prince at the ball. "It's something the crowd will remember," Vander Baaren said.
But while Green and Vander Baaren have the top roles in the musical production, Cinderella will also serve as a special send-off to three musical theatre members.
Khamisa Wilsher (fairy godmother), Natasha Beauregard (step-sister Joy) and Richard Chapman (the king) will graduate in June with Cinderella as their fourth Pinetree credit.
Beauregard, who last year portrayed Kiki DiGregorio - Cha Cha's little sister - in Grease, said she has enjoyed learning under Fera. "She teaches you a lot about how to use the stage and how to carry yourself. You have to bring out the character and use your eyes to tell the story."
Wilsher followed in her sister's footsteps with the program. "It's really magical because when you do theatre everything else falls away and you take on a whole new world," she said, adding acting has boosted her confidence and conversational skills.
And Chapman said he'll miss "his second family. They've been so much a part of me since I got here."
Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, a production by Treehouse Theatre at Pinetree secondary, runs Feb. 6 and 8 and Feb. 13 to 15 at 7:30 p.m. and features a 23-piece student orchestra under Marcia and Chris Carmichael. Tickets are available from the school office (3000 Pinewood Ave., Coquitlam). Call 604-464-2513.
