La Cenerentola: Performer's Perspective

Here's a short piece sitting in my draft pile and I need to move it out, so here it is, as it is.

Thought I'd share one performer's perspective on playing Cinderella...

Found in The appeal of 'La Cenerentola', mezzo-soprano Betany Coffland answer questions about playing Cinderella in the opera for the San Jose Opera.

Q What do you love about this role?

A It's been interesting for me to ask, "Why has this story of this young girl in unfortunate circumstances — why has it resonated for so many cultures, through so many centuries?"

She's a good person, and sometimes a clumsy person. She's audacious at times. She gets distressed and angry, and it all makes her real. I think we're all attracted to the inherent sweetness and genuine goodness of Cinderella. She knows what's important in life.

Q Specifically?

A It's this idea of karma, in a way, that you put good things out there and good things happen in return. And I think this idea resonates with all of us. We want to believe that good behavior is rewarded.

Q Is it a contemporary story? Is it relevant, or just a fairy tale?

A It's both contemporary and age-old. It's like Shakespeare; we do his plays over and over again, because they hold the keys to what we as humans are interested in watching play out in drama.

In the opera, Cinderella's stepsisters and stepfather — they're completely greedy. We all have aspects of that in us, along with the humor and the clumsiness we see in the opera. That's why we keep coming back to opera, because we recognize ourselves. It may be exaggerated, but it's real.

Q How does Cinderella change over the course of the opera?

A She learns to trust herself more. I think that when you live through a big experience and you come out the other side still holding onto those values that you had going into it, that gives you a new sense of confidence and renewal.

I often enjoy performers' interpretations of their roles, learning their thoughts about the role since they have to be the character to entertain us well.

Video Games: Big Brain Wolf

Okay, here's a video game I'm tempted to download because these are my preferred type of games--I've actually played Big Brain Academy and My Word Coach on the Wii more than any other console games in my life--so perhaps at some point I will get this to play. I like brain teasers and puzzle and logic games.

Publisher's description:

Big Brain Wolf is a hilarious point and click adventure game for puzzle lovers. The player takes upon the role of an asthmatic vegetarian wolf studying to become a genie. In the course of his adventures the player will encounter a large cast of famous funny characters and solve sixty different puzzles. Six neuroscientist designed highly replayable brain training exercises will earn the player precious hints to help solve the more difficult puzzles.

60 Different challenging puzzles and enigmas to solve

20 Puzzle filled scenes spanning a 5 chapters captivating story

A funny new take on universal characters that will appeal to all

6 brain training exercises designed and approved by the neuroscientists of Brain Center International

10 Original STEAM achievements

Great original soundtrack by a jazz quartet

Here are some articles:

Puzzle game Big Brain Wolf takes the 'bad' out of the Red Riding Hood story by Nellie Johnson

The game is mainly a wink-wink nudge-nudge version of the Red Riding Hood story but throws in other familiar fairy tale characters like the seven dwarves and the three little pigs for good measure. In this fractured fairy tale, the Big Bad Wolf isn't bad at all—in fact, he hates eating people and if he had his way, would sit around all day playing chess and eating boca burgers.

Against his will, he's pulled into an adventure through the course of which, he'll (read: “you'll”) have to solve over sixty puzzles and engage in six brain-training exercises. Get those brain cells ready because the exercises in BBW (which are designed to sharpen specific brain functions) were designed in collaboration with the neuroscientists of Brain Center International, who are responsible for the famous NeuroActive Program.

Big Brain Wolf Now Available on Steam: Geeky, vegetarian wolf stars in a puzzle-filled point and click adventure.

With a cast of familiar characters, including Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, and the Seven Dwarves, Big Brain Wolf gives a modern twist to all of your favorite tales!

A classic point and click adventure, Big Brain Wolf takes players through a fantastical world as a not so big, not so bad asthmatic vegetarian wolf studying to become a genie. This humorous tale has players solving sixty unique puzzles while trying to untangle a sordid murder mystery. To add another layer to the game, Frima Studio teamed up with the neuroscientists of Brain Center International to develop six fun brain training exercises for Big Brain Wolf. Completing these exercises will grant players useful hints to help them solve the game's hardest puzzles while also sharpening essential mental functions like memory, processing speed, decision making, and multitasking.

Big Brain Wolf is available now on Steam for $9.99. A downloadable trial is also available at Big Brain Wolf's official website.

And note that Little Red Riding Hood is in another video game. She really is the queen of the video game world when it comes to fairy tales.

No sales affiliations on this game folks, just news. There rarely are affiliations unless there are Amazon links. If I buy and try it out, I will post about it again.

Fairy Godmother Academy: Weaving a World for Girls

The Fairy Godmother Academy #1: Birdie's Book, the first book in a series that will run at least eight books, if not more, came out in August. The next two books aren't due out until next year (see below for more details).

Product description from Random House, the publisher:

For girls who are fans of Harry Potter and have outgrown the Disney Fairies series and the American Girl books, the Fairy Godmother Academy is the perfect series—fantasy books filled with magic and adventure but grounded by contemporary girls and issues.

The series boasts an amazing Web site that allows girls to enter the world they visit in the books. There they can do activities both on- and offline, vote for things they'd like to see in the books, and connect with other Fairy Godmother Academy fans.

Zally Guevara always knows where she's going. She has a passion for maps of all kinds and can't wait to pack her suitcase and explore the world. But Zally doesn't have to wait to get her wish. With the help of a cup of magical cocoa from her grandmother, she travels to a place that only girls training to become fairy godmothers can get to—the enchanted dreamland of Aventurine, a place that has no map.

In Aventurine, Zally is given her quest: to save a fairy queen who has lost her will to live. Zally's companions are a young fairy with a broken wing, and a stallion prince. The trio's journey proves to be even more challenging than they could have imagined as they meet monsters and get lost in a ruined fairy city. All the while, Zally is making a map of Aventurine and discovering that she has a talent, passed down from generations of women in her family: understanding the thoughts of animals. But will this be enough to save the fairy queen and ensure that Zally can continue her fairy-godmother training?

Join the Fairy Godmother Academy!
Visit the Web site for games, activities, and networking with friends!
www.fairygodmotheracademy.com

While these books had been on my long list for a while, finding this article about the author, Jan Bozarth, and the series sparked my interest further, Weaving a world for girls: Austin author creates literary and online realm where fairy godmothers help tweens listen to their inner voices by Sharyn Wizda Vane.

Note: These fairy godmothers don't flit around warbling "Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo" while they swathe their young charges in ivory silk to impress Prince Charming. In Bozarth's parlance, fairy godmothers are women who help young girls listen keenly to their inner voices — in part to keep from getting swept up in a Bratz-meets-"Mean Girls" culture, in part to keep them asking the right questions: What makes me strong? What nourishes me? What challenges me?

In "Birdie's Book," 12-year-old Birdie Cramer Bright discovers her own answers to those questions. Happiest surrounded by nature near her California home, Birdie grumbles about being sent to New York while her mother travels on business. The only upside is finally meeting her fabled grandmother, who introduces her to the family secret — her fairy lineage. Once at Granny Mo's, Birdie finds a magical dream book, a collection of nocturnal yearnings and insights from all the women in her family, that leads her to the mystical land Aventurine.

As is the case with almost any site with minors as a primary audience, registation is required. I didn't do so, so I could only preview a small amount of the content, but there appears to be much to explore. There is another article about the website at 'Fairy Godmother' is a big project on the Web, too.


The Fairy Godmother Academy #2: Kerka's Book will be released on April 27, 2010according to Amazon but on December 22 of this year according to the Fairy Godmother Academy website.


The Fairy Godmother Academy #3: Zally's Book will be released on August 24, 2010.


When I created a Fairy Godmother t-shirt on CafePress years ago, it became somewhat of a bestseller for the store and I have added it to Zazzle, too. I even bought one for myself.

Over the years of building SurLaLune, Fairy godmothers aren't discussed very often, but they have a definite fan base. Women especially seem to grow past the "princess" stage at some point and begin to embrace the fairy godmother image. It is certainly more appealing culturally to the crone image. I still plan to cross stitch that Fairy Godmother by Lavender and Lace I shared last week.

Anyway, I'm surprised there isn't more scholarship on fairy godmothers. The topic is just begging for further exploration.

On Stage in November and December: Part 1

Oh, to be in London for the holidays....

Thought I'd share this link to an article listing several theatre productions for the holidays, several with holiday themes. Yes, panto season is upon you UKers and I'm jealous. But there is more than pantos, too.

The 20 must-see Christmas shows that are waiting in the wings.

Other than this there are several productions of Into the Woods, Hansel and Gretel, La Cenerentola and of course The Nutcracker coming around. Surprisingly, a few Bluebeards (one that is ick! so I won't link) which definitely does NOT say holiday celebrations to me.

New Book: Aesop’s Mirror: A Love Story

Consider this new book to be 'on the slant' since it isn't directly about fairy tales but is a memoir about antique collecting, specifically about a mirror featuring images from Aesop's The Fox and the Grapes carved into its frame, this book is a nice first cousin once removed to our usual topics. Aesop’s Mirror: A Love Story by Maryalice Huggins came out this week. I discovered it through some of its online publicity which I will share below.

First, I discovered this article about the book with some ruminations about mirrors that bring to mind Snow White and other fairy tales indirectly at least.

‘Mirror, mirror on the wall’ — Huggins’ book reflects upon a quest for a mirror’s provenance by Gloria S. Redlich

Huggins glimpsed herself in the mirror, which she ended up purchasing for over $8,000, at two angles. “Something mysterious,” she notes, “seemed to be taking place.” She recalls the words from a study on antique mirrors: “From antiquity onward, mirrors were believed empowered to capture the souls of those reflected in their lifetimes.” Had hers been thus ensnared?

Mirrors, she writes, “are fanciful … a mirror never lies. They reflect how we feel about ourselves in every possible way.”

Huggins’ new mirror then takes her on an odyssey that is at once historic, not a little fantastical, and also, if incidentally, a road to self-discovery.

Another great article, more about the author this time, Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall by Mimi Read:

Ms. Huggins’s book fits into no recognizable genre: it is partly a memoir about growing up on Block Island, an evocative re-creation of the lives of an illustrious 19th-century American family, a detective story about the provenance of an object, and a rare glimpse behind the curtain of the politely conniving, overwhelmingly male world of high-end antiques. There’s also a history of mirrors slipped in. (Apparently, our deep-seated desire to behold our reflections existed eons before technological advances finally made it as easy as whipping out a compact.)

Her story starts in the mid-1990s. One day, she played hooky from her restoration studio in Chelsea to attend an auction in rural Rhode Island. The musty contents of a house were being sold off, and Ms. Huggins arrived with no money, thinking she’d just enjoy the chance to glimpse an immaculate horse farm.

Among the inventory, Ms. Huggins spied something that ignited her object lust: a filthy eight-foot-tall Rococo Revival mirror too big and nutty to attract decorators and most collectors. A giant golden romp of a thing, its chipped gilt frame was decorated with broken carvings based on Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes.”

Playful and naïve, the carvings jutted out extravagantly, luring her into their narrative.

The article also included this photo by Erik Jacobs for The New York Times:


And, here's a description from the publisher, Macmillan:

“Everything I needed to know about Fox and Grapes mirror, I knew the moment I first I saw it.”

What antiques restorer Maryalice Huggins knew when she stumbled across the mirror at a country auction in Rhode Island was this: She was besotted. Rococo and huge (more than eight feet tall), the mirror was one of the most unusual objects she had ever seen. Huggins had to have it.

The frame’s elaborate carvings were almost identical to a famous eighteenth-century design. Could this be eighteenth-century American? That would make it rare indeed. But in the rarefied world of American antiques, an object is not significant unless you can prove where it’s from. Huggins set out to trace the origins of her magnificent mirror.

Fueled with the delightfully obsessive spirit of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, Aesop’s Mirror follows Huggins on her quest as she goes up against the leading lights of the very male world of high-end antiques and dives into the historical archives. And oh, what she finds there! The mirror was likely passed down through generations of the illustrious Brown family of Providence, Rhode Island.

Throughout history, mirrors have been seen as having mystical powers, enabling those who peer into them to connect the past and the future. In Aesop’s Mirror, Maryalice Huggins does just that, creating a marvelous, one-of-kind book about a marvelous, one of-a-kind American treasure.

The reviews are positive so far, such as this blurb:

“A surprisingly complex story of American beginnings . . . In an age in which art’s bottom line is generally thought to be the bottom line, the book attests to the true reasons we cherish rare objects that have come down to us from the past: the way they elicit our desire to possess their beauty and their mystery.”

—Benjamin Moser, Harper’s Magazine

The book also interests me because it follows the journey of trying to learn, the need to find answers, to understand, the joys and tribulations of research in general--all experiences I relate to when I research fairy tales and their histories. I've been rabidly working on a Sleeping Beauties collection (including Sleeping Beauty and an even greater abundance of Snow White tales) this past month and the quests for tales and more information has been quite heady. But more about that in a few weeks when the collection is complete...

Guess Aesop's Mirror goes on my wish list...

Bargain Shopping: Folklore on DVD

Here are a few bargains for early holiday shopping:


For fans of Shelley Duvall's fairy tale and folklore series, Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends: The Complete Series was rereleased to DVD in September and is currently $14.49 on Amazon for the complete set, the cheapest I've ever seen it at 42% off the list price.

There are nine episodes in the series, including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Pecos Bill, Casey at the Bat, Darlin’ Clementine, Johnny Appleseed, Ponce de Leon, John Henry, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley.


Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection is also a great price at $33.99 at 43% off list price. This is the best set because it includes extras previous sets did not have, especially the fan favorite 'Grimm Party'.

Contains 26 Tales and extras:

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Beauty and the Beast
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Cinderella
The Dancing Princesses
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Little Mermaid
Little Red Riding Hood
The Nightingale
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Pinocchio
The Princess and the Pea
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Puss in Boots
Rapunzel
Rip Van Winkle
Rumpelstiltskin
Sleeping Beauty
The Snow Queen
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Tale of the Frog Prince
The Three Little Pigs
Thumbelina

ALSO INCLUDES ENCHANTING EXTRAS:

Lost Episode: "Faerie Tale Theatre’s Greatest Moments" ("Grimm Party")

Vintage Faerie Tale Theatre Presentation Reel with Shelley Duvall

B-Roll Promo Footage

AND EXCLUSIVE COLLECTOR’S ITEMS:

Photo-Rich 112-Page Storybook

"3-In-1" Faerie Tale Theatre Game (custom playing cards, memory match and trivia)


Finally, the Storybook International Collection 10 Disc Set is also bargain priced at $20.99 (48% off retail). This is a much different type of series, not campy or filled with Hollywood actors, and surprisingly entertaining but low-key so expect subtlety over intensity. It would be excellent in the classroom. It's not glossy but when I originally viewed it, I was surprisingly entertained with the multicultural tales. I won't include the full list here--there are 65 tales in the set--but look for my original review of the series on the product page on Amazon or see the page I made for it on SurLaLune long ago (and have never updated).

So if you are one of the few who don't own one or the other already and are a fan, this is the time. I'm not sure how long the pricing will last, but I thought I would share. Especially since none of these are guaranteed to stay in print. I noticed that the Jim Henson Storyteller series is once again out of print and selling used for several times its original list price. Such a shame with the Sesame Street 40th anniversary this week, too...

Disney's First Black Princess article

Because I haven't posted anything in a few weeks about Princess and the Frog and we are after all a month away now, I offer: Black parents teach young girls significance of Disney's first black princess by Megan K. Scott

Tiana has already sparked a merchandising frenzy - beauty products, dolls, a cookbook, a cooking set. There is even a new Tiana wedding dress as part of the "Kirstie Kelly for Disney Fairy Tale Weddings" line.

The Halloween costumes sold out quickly in some cities, according to Disney Consumer Products, and the "Just One Kiss" doll was named one of the "Hot Dozen" toys for the holiday season in FunFare Magazine, a toy industry publication. On Oct. 1, all 5,000 Tiana-themed Magical Beauty Collection Gift Sets were sold on carolsdaughter.com before noon, the first day the products were available.

Little girls don't see colour distinctions as much as older girls, said Charlotte Reznick, a child educational psychologist and author of "The Power of Your Child's Imagination."

But she said Tiana will register on some level with little black girls and boost their sense of themselves even if it's subtle.