Review of Cinderella from Voices In The Wind Audio Theatre

Most of us are familiar with the folktale of Cinderella. The tale was, of course, popularized by Disney in 1950, but there are dozens of variations of the well-known rags to riches story. One of the most popular published versions was by French writer, Charles Perrault in 1697, who originated the elements of the glass slipper and the fairy godmother.

Voices In The Wind Audio Theatre, based in the province of Ontario, Canada, has used the Perault version of the Cinderella as the basis for a brand-new audio adaptation. The script for the nearly hour-long production was written by Diane Vanden Hoven and it was directed by Laura Van Veen, David Farquhar, and George Zarr.

Not being familiar with the Charles Perault text myself, there were a couple of plot points which were a surprise to me, which was nice when listening to a story that you think you already know. The script was well-written, with mostly natural-sounding dialogue and easy to follow scene breaks. Vanden Hoven employs the device of a narrator (Michael Dick), which I usually prefer to do without in an audio drama, but the narrator was not overused.

Georgia Lee Schultz plays Cinderella

Georgia Lee Schultz does a splendid job as Cinderella, embodying the sweet, youthful innocence and kindness of the character perfectly. Other notable performances are Brady Van Vaerenbergh as the Prince and Ellin Wallin as the Old Woman and Fairy Godmother, both of whom fill their respective parts very well.

The audio drama contains an original song from Cinderella’s perspective titled, "Oh What Am I To Do?", with music and lyrics by George Zarr who also composed the rest of the music. The piano-based score is minimal with many scenes transitioning without any music at all. The sound design is not extremely immersive with no rich, ambient soundscapes, but even though it is on the minimal end of the spectrum it is quite adequate. This is, of course, a stylistic choice that is reminiscent of many BBC productions. The Colonial Radio Theatre also employs this approach in many of their productions so this is not a negative, just a note that it is different from say, a Lamplighter Theatre show. David Farquhar shows himself a quite capable engineer and sound designer with this audio drama.

David Farquhar, recording engineer, sound designer, and executive producer

This 50-minute audio adaptation of the classic fairy tale is well-produced and it is worth giving a listen. Georgia Lee Schultz’s performance in the title role is the standout one and her vocals on the song are great. While this audio drama does not feature any jaw-dropping or spell-binding aural moments that might have the listener on the edge of their seat, it is nonetheless, a solid, well-crafted production that the whole family can enjoy.

This charming audio drama is available as a digital download only and can be purchased from our partners, iTunes and Amazon. You can also visit the Voices in the Wind website for more digital outlets, full credits, and additional cast photos.