It is a rare moment when I have a couple hours of free time, so even though I fell asleep watching tv with my mother not 30 min ago, I am plopping myself on the couch by the fire with my hot cocoa and putting on Starkid’s “Cinderella’s Castle.”
Come with me for a completely spoiler filled reaction through what looks to be a decent Cinderella adaptation. (I recommend watching it yourself first- this reaction will make more sense if you know what is going on 😂)
First- I adore Starkid. Every single one of thier comedic genre takes are just litgitmately good versions of that type of story, and also funny. I have not seen a bad Starkid’s show.
Second- Fairytale is my special interest. I am especially obsessed with every single version of Cinderella. Do they understand the main theme of the story? What do the differences and details tell you about the culture that made this version? Even if I had no idea who Starkid was I would have watched this. I have watched 4 hour operas with less to recommend them.
So HOW did I NOT know this was a thing?!?
It only came out two weeks ago, so I will forgive myself, but honestly, I usually know when something this cool is in the works.
I am so excited I am vibrating. Let us begin.
“There’s A Castle on the Hill” is going on my “favorites” playlist. It is already stuck in my head and I want to make a million fan vids. No notes, just sheer joy. 🎶
I am also loving that our opening narrator has the dark eyeliner for pure aesthetic. He is correct to do so. 👍
“Lords, ladies, fae-folk of all kind” I am stealing that for my storytelling act.
They are playing the tone as a children’s theater show and knowing Starkid, I love that, both because it is unusual for them and because it shall be subverted eventually. 😈
Puppet!!!!!
Cinderella with monsters?!? 🤩
The Jim Hensen vibes of this fantasy is making me so happy!!! 🥰
Ashmore. They made her last name ashmore and are going to continue to pun it. Yes.
And there it is. 😂
Oh. The rotten meat. The raving. They are trolls. And they have made her seem crazy. The abuse… 🥺 We are less than 10 min in and the themes are spot on.
The fae crouch. 🤌 (narrator in the corner)
“Cursed Crazy” is the next mental health theme. 🎶
And with the prince we are full into college age humor. That did not last long. 😂
Prince will either have character growth or there is a twist coming. Because he is an ass.
The way the Stepmom cuts her off from everyone by telling the truth as something insane is so ON POINT.
Oh- she is not just Ella’s personal villian, this is a BIG BAD. That is coming back later.
The dwarf is the audience voice!!! Like the dog in Hensen’s “The Storyteller.” This is lovely! ☺️
Ella kind to animals. 🤩 That will come back to her later. Frog is either the chariot driver or fairygodmother.
“I wanna step on your grave” is such a great line for Cinderella. Also- “dress was made…” does she already have a dress for the ball hidden away? 🤔
Wow. Thanks. I hate him. And I hope Tadius gets to kick him.
Somehow I still feel bad for the step sisters. In her attempt to rule the world, Stepmom be stripping them of their troll culture.
Ella only too happy to clean in this version 😂
Oh- the friends that get cut off the moment you are in an abusive relationship. This is so beautiful and so sad.
Those are the actresses playing the trolls. Please please please don’t kill them off for the troll girl skins- 🙏
And the way a person gets trained to tell no one, even the people who would believe them. 😢
This version is SO DARK. I love it.
The bastard brother is coming back into the story. I am calling it now.
Ok, but those are a Lord’s daughters… how does she think she will get away with that? Won’t people be confused by the girls calling her Mom? 🤔
The way they are useing trolls to highlight the “beauty is only skin deep” theme is immaculate 🤌
Justine and Lucy. Justice and Light.
They are having SO MUCH FUN playing with names in this show!
OH MY GODDESS
They are playing with the evolution of goddess to fae to Fairy Godmother?!?
AND the versions where the tree is her mother’s grave????!!!!
A DEATH goddess dealing out justice?! This is the most baddass version I have ever seen. 😳
Her voice… 🎶
The frog came back!!! The Sir Didimus vibes!!!
And the mouse squire!
I would die for these puppets. Oh how I love them immediately. 😍🥰
She has multiple hands and is taking Ella out of time. The ELDRITCH power of it.
3 gifts? A dress, a knight, and… the mouse?
Oh- she is death of the forest. Life and light, fire and ash. The cycle of chaos and order. This is the fairy godmother I have been looking for in every story.
The name is not a pun, but a promise. God this is SO GOOD.
“The Castle” + sparkly cod piece is a whole vibe- and here comes the disco balls!!! 🪩
Oh please let them get married. 😂 (Troll and Prince)
Her dress- I gasped. 🫢
She has a noble quest beyond getting out of her house, and yet you deeply want her to get out of her house. This is the most perfect balance of modern Cinderella I have ever seen.
Oh he is just Sir Didimus as a frog and I am HERE for it! 🤩 🐸
Well, he’s an ass, but a smooth ass. At least he recognizes what he is in the presence of.
They are changing the glow on her dress with the lighting. 🤩
Also, the light, fire, ash metaphors continue to just get BETTER.
The chamber pot 😂
If either this frog or this mouse die in some sacrifice for Ella I will pitch this laptop across the room. 🐸 🐁 ⚔️
Only problem so far with this show: no obvious intermission and I have to pee!
Annnnnnnnnnd STILL an ass.
Finally, the scene I have been waiting for. My only ad for this show was about these two.
Oh please let them get together. I ship them so hard so quickly.
“We can’t kill the king can we?” Oh he is in love with that girl already, it’s not even funny how hard and fast he fell 😂
She doesn’t want it, but will take it to do the right thing. The perfectly wise ruler.
I may be a little in love with this Cinderella myself.
🫢 The forest cycle metaphors- she is already thinking like her new Goddess… 🥹
That was the best “I have made myself strong enough to do the right thing, whatever that is” song I have ever heard.
Whoever wrote this GETS Cinderella so well 😭
The FROG!!! 🐸
Fairy Goddess didn’t give her no chump! 🤩
So in this version, she is running from enemies, not because of the spell. I like it. 🤔
If he is dead I will scream 🐭 😱
He really does deserve the troll. 🧌 😂
Oh that fairy glamour is doing WORK.
“Tell me Ella… where are YOUR shoes?” Chills. 😳
Dead. They are BOTH dead. 😭 🐭 🐸 May the forest goddess sing you to sleep, sweet knights. 🪦
Oh! She has light magic! And they are Trolls who turn to stone! How clever!
I thought this couldn’t get any darker… 😨
They did it. They took it. 🤢
To think I felt bad for the troll girls.
But… she serves a death goddess… 😈
And the dwarf is back. 😂
Oh he is down BAD.
Tadius knows something is off. Is he gonna save the day? Lay her to rest beneath the oak? 🙏
The trolls in the audience 😂 I hope we see the dwarf there too.
I assume there is a magical advantage here, that she is giving up the game so quickly… or maybe she just wants to eat the whole populace. 🤢 😂
I am not sorry to see him go 😂
Ok, her plan to take over the ruling class has so many layers, it is blowing my mind. 🤯 Idk if the writer knew this, but troll and ogres were folktale metaphors for the French conquering England, or really any ruling class from somewhere else. This is so perfect, I am stunned. 😳
She’s back!!!! 👏 🤩
Frog!!! 🐸
Death powers! 🙌☠️
Mouse!!! 🐭
Her chainmail looks like the fairie’s gown. 🥹 She is her voice in the land of the living- I love this show! 😭❤️
The audience cheers for Ella’s return and for the Troll becoming stone- THIS is connecting to your audience the way children’s theater still does. Not that this is children’s theater 😅, but they are using several of thier techniques and it is paying off. 👏 👏
You love to see it. Or rather hear it. 😁
She’s in the traditional “LOTR Elf” dress, and it works so WELL thematically. On so many levels. 👗 🤩
“Who knows? I wasn’t there.” I LOVE him 😂
As she is missing her friends, you know what I am realizing? They held up the silly joy of girlhood as a virtue and a power. 🥹 I am actually crying. 🫢
And here they uphold service. Of Tadius. Of Sir Hop. Even of the small mouse. And of Ella.
Ok- this might be the BEST Cinderella. Damn.
I did not know I needed to see Crumb knighted but that was GLORIOUS 😭 🐭 ⚔️
The reprise of “Castle on a Hill” is EVERYTHING.
And as a final note, we have no idea if Ella and Tadius get together because that WASN’T THE FUCKING POINT OF HER STORY!
I have never been so happy with an open ended romance 😂 Except maybe “Atlantis” 🤔
Notes from credits:
The costumer and light person clearly had to work together to get Ella’s costumes right.
The same person to dress the humans also dressed the puppets and that is wonderful.
Illustrated version of Ella!
Wow… so many people helped pay for this.
They are doing Illustrated versions of everyone?! 🤩
Frog!!!!
Mouse!! 🐭 oh- he has a needle! 🪡
Eldritch horror Goddess!!! 🤩❤️
No Tadius Illustration? Boo! (Unless I missed it while typing? 🤔)
Final notes:
Ok- so the Grizeld sister’s brother never showed up. I need a fanfic about him returning home to find thier graves now. 😭 💔
How different her friends were from the trolls who took thier skin is so heartbreaking 💔 😭
There are a couple minor things that never played off- her friends’ brother, or father. I THINK the third gift was the shoes, but that was unclear. I could have done with examples of the one troll’s flatulence at the ball instead of Ella just joking about it. I hope the dwarf was in the audience for the part he “walked off.” I could have done with seeing the Goddess again but only because she is SO FREAKING AWESOME- thematically it worked for Cinderella to be her voice for everyone else at the end.
Honestly, these are so minor, I only realize them because I have notes.
Overall?
I am so hyped on this play right now. I am sure later I will find some fault with it, but right now I adore it. I am going to spend days slowly processing how they managed to capture so many important fairy tale themes and images.
Like- this may actually be the best Cinderella.
And that is coming from someone who mostly hates sex jokes. 😂
Starkid- you did it again. Actually… this might be your best? 🤔
Anyways- hoped you enjoyed the run through. I really really really love this show!
