Hi everyone! My name is Ari Magelssen and I'm playing Prince Topher in our production of Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella. I certainly am excited to be a part of this show, especially because of the fact it's my first show as part of this wonderful group of people. Speaking of first shows, I thought I'd talk a bit about my very first show I did back when I was 8 years old.
My dad is a drama professor at the University of Washington, and one of his students needed some child actors to be in his production of Medea, so he asked me and my brother if we would do it. Medea was the granddaughter of the Greek god Helios and wife of Jason (as in Jason and the Argonauts. I'm sure you've heard of them). In our production of this play I played one of her sons alongside my brother. I'm assuming you were not there for this particular production of Medea, so I’ll give you a quick rundown.
Medea has prophecies, meaning she can see the future. Hera thinks this will help Jason to obtain the Golden Fleece. So, Hera makes Medea fall in love with Jason to help him on his quest. After the golden fleece has been obtained, they get married. However, Jason is unfaithful and abandons Medea. Driven mad with rage, she kills Jason's new lover, and his lover's father. After this, she kills her own two sons (me and my brother).
Assuming you're familiar with the story of Cinderella, I'm sure you've realized that comparing Cinderella and Medea to each other is like comparing an apple to a piece of fried chicken. They are different in almost every way. Which is why I'm so excited to be in this production. I want to get the full drama experience, from Greek tragedies to Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.
If you want to see for yourself how different these two plays are, why don't you come see our production of Cinderella at Nathan Hale!
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