ONCE UPON A SEQUIN... // A THEATRE REVIEW OF COMPANY XIV'S "CINDERELLA"

BY MATEO MORENO

Once Upon a time, in a land far sexier than yours, lived a young girl names Cinderella (the stunning Allison Ulrich) who lived with two really shitty sisters and one 50 shades of cray-cray Stepmother (the rambunctious Davon Rainey). She adored heels but not her stepdaughter. She had a brilliant laugh but a wicked disposition. But who could hate someone with legs like that? Well, Cinderella could, that’s who! She was tired of being pushed around and kicked down. Ain’t nobody got time for that kind of nonsense. So she hooked up with a fairy godmother (the radiant Katrina Cunningham), started talking off a few pieces of clothing and on the way to the ball ran into Austin McCormick and his merry band of vivacious stunners. And the rest lays onstage at The Minetta Lane theatre. Deliciously.

Company XIV, founded and curated by McCormick, has made quite a name for itself in the past few years. They have redefined The Nutcracker with the burlesque-esque The Nutcracker Rouge, spun their own tawdry tale in Rococo Rouge and now takes on the classic tale of CINDERELLA. Led by their fearless leader, Drama Desk Award Nominee Austin McCormick, the group certainly bring up the temperature on this classic tale. The tale is as old as time: Cinderella is left in the care of her Stepmother after the untimely death of her parents. Here, we learn much of the story through visual mediums, such as story cards carried by barely clad dancers and the choreography itself. The Stepmother is wicked indeed, as are her two Stepsisters (deliriously played by Marcy Richardson and Brett Umlauf). They leave her behind while going to the Prince's ball but do not fear; her Fairy Godmother comes in the form of singer/dancer Katrina Cunningham, who glams her up for the ball and send her on her way to meet The Prince (a dashing and strong Steven Trumon Gray).

What's really stunning about Company XIV shows isn't the fact that they mix Burlesque, circus tricks, dancing, humor, and nakedness (though that certainly helps). It's the fact that they do it so well and with stunning visuals. The lighting design by Jeanette Yew and costume design by Zane Pihlstrom are simply breathtaking and in the small-ish walls of Minetta Lane, you won't find a bad seat to take it all in. As our title heroine, Ulrich is a shimmering treat with her gorgeous dancing and a phenomenal circus number that, along with her partner Steven Trumon Gray, leaves you breathless. The hilarious Stepmother, played in a delirium of drag and dance by Davon Rainey, is a delight from beginning to end. Though his ad libs may take a bit of focus off of the main storyline, he's hilarious, a gifted dancer, and has legs that seem to go ten feet above the ground. So no one should have any complaints there. Katrina Cunningham's vocals once again threaten to steal the show. Her sensational solos (which include Love is the Drug, Dark Star, Born to Die, and a delightful version of Walking After Midnight) bring every single sensation to the brink and the fact that she's a gifted dancer just adds to her charm. Let us not forget the dynamic Stepsister duo of Marcy Richardson and Brett Umlauf. Both women flick and frolic their way through one saucy number to the next. Richardson is also an accomplished pole dancer and simply stuns with her gifted ability (her voice is also to die for).

Please note (if you are just joining us here in paragraph four) that this is a 21 and over affair. Sexual situations, partial nudity, and language abound. So leave the kiddies at home. There's no room for children here. McCormick's mad genius is again in full effect and will glide you along, teasing and pouncing, until you can't take it. And immediately after, of course, beg for more. Isn't that the kind of night we all deserve? Leave your inhibitions and troubles (along with a shoe or two) at the door. A walk on the wild side will definitely warm you up from those New York windy nights.

MATEO'S GRADE: A

Written, Choreographed, and Directed by: Austin McCormick Starring: Allison Ulrich, Davon Rainey, Katrina Cunningham, Hilly Bodin, Lea Helle, Jakob Karr, Nicholas Katen, Malik Kitchen, Mark Osmundsen, Marcy Richardson, Steven Trumon Gray and Brett Umlauf. For Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Cinderella-Company-XIV-tickets/artist/2159454

MATEO MORENO recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconscious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.