by Dorothy Markulis

Downtown Akron was transformed recently into a magical land of pint-sized princesses, all skipping towards the Civic Theatre.

The young ladies were dressed to the nines, in honor of their favorite princess, Cinderella.

The Ballet Theatre of Ohio, under artistic director Christine Meneer, performed the fairy tale classic under the stars of Akron's Civic Theatre May 3 and 4.

My two granddaughters, Joey, 7, and Sammi, 9, gazed in awe at all the little princesses, complete with magic wands, while their grandmother almost broke her leg kicking herself in the rear for not anticipating the royal turn-out and making them a part of it.

Their awe was two-fold when we were seated inside the regal Civic Theatre in the courtyard of a Moorish Castle with stars twinkling overhead.

"Are we really outside?" asked Sammi. They got a big kick out the clouds that rolled by.

Both were fully engaged by the production, from the tiniest, cutest pages introducing opening the pages (get it, pages opening pages) of a giant book of Cinderella, to the magic carriage which whisked away the prince and princess after their wedding.

Jessica Schroeder and guest artist Eric Carvill were wonderfully paired as Cinderella and her prince. They amazed the audience with their grace. Carvill's lifts were so high you could hear gasps in the theater. What strength!

The girls were enchanted by the company's adorable mice and birds. Joey's favorite was the prancing horses pulling the carriage.

It was amazing. An audience filled with young children and not a discouraging word was heard. They were all mesmerized by the performance.

Kelly Meneer did an amazing job as the wicked stepmother. She had just the right amount of nasty. How someone so young could look so old puzzled me.

The girls favorite performers, however, were the wicked stepsisters, portrayed by Eryn Hanes and Andrea Blankstein.

The stepsisters' jealousy of each other must have struck a familiar chord with my granddaughters with their constant bickering and in-fighting. They were an absolute hoot and real crowd pleasers. They displayed true comic genius.

No complaints on the set designs from this reviewer. They were creative and, oh yes, enchanting.

Kudos to all who participated in this special production.

Take a well-deserved bow, Christine Meneer.

E-mail: dmarkulis@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3143