'Cinderella' brings out kid in everyone

It's the familiar tale of Cinderella, who loses her slipper at the ball and finds her prince charming; however, this story has a few twists.

• Photos

The musical, which opens Thursday at the University of South Carolina Aiken's Etherredge Center, features a fairy godmother with an Irish accent and a faithful canine named Rover.

"The addition of Rover is a very important part," said Jade Jennings, the director. "It adds opportunity for more comedy."

Played by Eric Brown, a freshman theater major, Rover aids the fairy godmother in helping Cinderella.

The role of man's (or woman's, in this case) best friend is fun, Mr. Brown said.

"Being in the theater makes me go back to being a child," he said.

He also gets away with some actions that might be considered stupid, he said, but hey, he's a dog, and "it's cute as a little dog."

Another character who has fun is the fairy godmother, played by sophomore Alex Riehl.

"She's goofy, but it's so much fun being flighty," she said.

The toughest part of the role is the Irish accent.

Ms. Riehl said she can do an awesome Scottish accent because she spent almost five years in Scotland; however, the subtle inflections that differentiate between the two took some practice.

To learn the accent, she said, she has received help from Mr. Brown and she's been listening to diction tapes.

The show is aimed at a children's audience, and the morning shows are open to groups only. A Thursday evening performance is open to the general public.

Despite the show being suited for children, audiences of all ages should enjoy it, Mr. Brown said.

"I think it's something that will bring out the kid in everybody," he said.