Photo courtesy of Charles Roe Vocal performance graduate students Michael Chaffin and Jessica Deardorff profess their love for each other in the University of Arizona production of the Italian Cinderella opera, "La Cenerentola." The opera runs this weekend in Crowder Hall.

UA students stage an Italian Cinderella story this weekend in Crowder Hall

Anyone who has ever seen "Cinderella" knows that in the world of Disney, dreams really do come true.

For vocal performance graduate student Jessica Deardorff, the dream of becoming the beloved Cinderella has come true. She plays the role in Gioacchino Rossini's Italian opera, "La Cenerentola."

The opera is running tonight and tomorrow at Crowder Hall.

"It's every girl's dream to play Cinderella," Deardorff said. "And not only that, but vocally, it's always been a dream of mine to play this role. Cinderella is a really good character for any girl, I think."

Deardorff added that playing Cinderella in the opera version of the classic tale has transformed her view of the fairy tale into something more applicable to real life, especially when examining the opera from an adult perspective.

"When you're little, it's really just a fairy tale, but when you're older, you can sympathize more with (Cinderella)," Deardorff said, "being in love and all those things that are part of a fairy tale, but that are part of real life, too."

Vocal performance graduate student Heather Stricker, who plays one of Cinderella's evil stepsisters, agreed that the operatic version of the classic fairy tale adds a human touch to the plot.

"I think the opera in some ways is more realistic and modernized in the fact that there is no fairy godmother and there is no magic," Stricker said. "I think people will appreciate that it's a fairy tale, but it's a little bit more real life; whereas the Disney version is all about magic and little mice."

The differences between the Disney version of Cinderella and the Italian opera do not end with magic. In the Italian version, the stepsisters are not supposed to be ugly in a physical sense; instead, they have terrible personalities.

"The concept is that you're supposed to look beyond beauty and into the inner person," Stricker said. "That's why (the prince) picks Cinderella over the sisters: because she's a beautiful person."

Stricker said her character, Clorinda, allows her to expand from more conventional operatic roles into something a bit more on the edge.

"It's very rare in opera that you get to be so big and loud and obnoxious all the time," Stricker said. "I've done a lot of roles, but I've never done an evil opera role, so that is really fun."

First year vocal performance graduate student Michael Chaffin said his character, the prince, also gets to have some fun in the opera.

"(The prince) and the valet trade places to pull a trick on the two sisters (so they can) find the real princess," Chaffin said. "You'll see an interplay between the two of them (the valet and the prince) where they laugh and josh each other."

Deardorff said "La Cenerentola" is the best overall production she has been in at the University of Arizona thus far in her graduate school career.

"The cast is extremely strong; the costumes are incredible. It is really like a fairy tale come to life," Deardorff said.

People only interested in a retelling of the Disney version might be disappointed with the more realistic nature of the opera.

"If you're hoping just for the fairy tale with the fairy godmother, you might be disappointed," Stricker said. "But if you come in open-minded, you'll have to love it because it's just so fun."

Gioacchino Rossini's "La Cenerentola" shows tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 and Sunday at 3 p.m. in Crowder Hall. Tickets are $10 for UA employees and $8 for students. For more information, call 621-1162.