Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts. Menconi's latest book, "Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music," was published in the fall of 2023 by University of North Carolina Press. His podcast, Carolina Calling, explores the history of the Tar Heel State through music.

At 40 years old and counting, Raleigh Little Theatre’s annual rendition of the classic romantic fable Cinderella might stand as local theater’s longest-running holiday tradition this side of Theatre In The Park’s A Christmas Carol (which turns 51 in 2024). But four decades ago, Cinderella didn’t start out as a recurrent holiday season event.

The first production came in 1984 with a version crafted by the late Haskell Fitz-Simons, who was artistic director at that time. Highly stylized to the point of slapstick comedy, his version was quite different from both the 1950 Disney cartoon and the 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein film version. It proved so popular that bringing it back for an encore the following year made sense. They’ve continued doing it every year as a recurrent evergreen specific to Raleigh.

“It came back by popular demand and it keeps coming back,” says Raleigh Little Theatre executive director Michele Weathers. “No other theater company I’m aware of does Cinderella as a holiday offering, and it was created in this environment with some Raleigh details. There are references to places like Meredith College and Krispy Kreme, here in the Kingdom of Raleigh.”

With support from longtime sponsors Coastal Credit Union and WRAL, the 2024 model of Cinderella will be on stage Dec. 6-22 at the 298-seat Raleigh Little Theatre, 301 Pogue St. in Raleigh. Tickets are available at RaleighLittleTheatre.org.

This year’s run of shows will include a special Storytime With Cinderella event in the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre the afternoon of Sat., Dec. 14, just ahead of that evening’s performance (ticketed separately). New features this year include a disco ball and Magic Mirror.

As always, there will be post-show meet-and-greet events with the cast in costume for pictures and autographs after each performance. Also back this year is one of the show’s most popular sequences, in which the actors leave the stage to go into the crowd to have audience members try on Cinderella’s slipper.

“That was something we had to stop doing for a few years because of Covid precautions,” says Weathers. “But hands down, whenever we did surveys after the show, we’d hear, ‘When will you bring back trying on the slipper? My daughter or granddaughter always loved that.’ So it’s back, and it’s with the ‘Magic Mirror’ so that everyone in the audience can see what’s happening.”

Fitz-Simons directed Raleigh Little Theatre’s Cinderella until his death in 2013, and it retained a broad comedic feel for much of its history—like having male actors Dennis Poole and Tim Cherry play the evil stepsisters for more than 20 years. A series of different directors have overseen the production since then, including Ruthie Martinez this year. The show has had a lot of changes in details and tone over time, but there are always enough similarities from year to year for it to endure as an annual ritual.

“It’s tradition for a lot of families,” says Weathers. “We try to honor that, put out a boutique with light-up wands and tiaras. Make a big deal out of it. The actors coming out into the crowd for slipper fitting—and they’ll go all the way to the back of the house, not just the first few rows—and then greeting theater-goers in the lobby afterward is really special. It’s as immersive an experience as you can get.”

Raleigh Little Theatre will perform 16 shows of Cinderella from Dec. 6-22 at Cantey V. Sutton Theatre at 301 Pogue St. in Raleigh. Tickets are available here.

^{Photos courtesy of Raleigh Little Theatre}