Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella: Enchanted Edition’ March 20-22 in the St. Mary’s Auditorium.

The version of Cinderella tells the same beloved story you know, but with music that’s a little different from the Disney movie.

Cast members include senior Jack Windschitl as King Maximillan. He talked about what he likes about Cinderella.

“I like that everyone in the show is involved in a lot of things. Everyone has an important role. We all work together. We’re pretty close friends. We like to hang out together,” Windschitl said. “I like singing and being in two different roles in one show. I feel it’s more fun that way. We’ve been working on this for four months. We’ve put a lot of work into it. Sometimes, we came in at 6:30 in the morning and 6 to 9 p.m.”

Stepsister from left, Natalie Fischer (Joy) stepmother Kiauna Suess and Grace Hoffmann (Grace) perform. Cinderella with

He said the musical’s special effects include smoke and lighting that’s “pretty cool to watch.”

“It’s very fun,” said senior Kiara Murphy (Queen Constantina). “We put a lot of heart and passion into it. I think the crowd will love it. There’s lots of set changes and cool costumes too. I like how Queen Constantina may be a nice, caring mother that sets up the prince’s ball behind his back, but she does it because she cares about her son. She’s kind of funny too.”

Senior Tyler Mathiowetz plays Lionel.

“We have a lot of energy this year which makes it a lot of fun,” he said. “Usually I don’t sing out loud. I’m out of my comfort zone a little bit, but I think it’ll be ok. It’s been some late nights and early mornings, but I think it’ll be worth it.”

Vocal director and technical supervisor Rachel Moldan is in her 23rd year with St. Mary’s musical production.

Charlie Hoffmann (Christopher the Prince) sings.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, but it’s fun,” she said. “The like to see the students emerge as actors. We got new lights a few years ago. I enjoy doing different things with them. There are lots of special effects in this. The challenge is fun.”

“The first theater experience I can truly remember was ‘Cinderella’ in this auditorium in 1999,” said Hirschboeck. “I remember sitting in the audience, fully engaged in the story and the music, aware that something important was unfolding on that stage. Being able to return years later and direct ‘Cinderella’ is an honor. I am truly humbled by the opportunity. At its heart, ‘Cinderella’ reminds us of the importance of kindness and consideration for one another.”

Hirschboeck thanked everyone for their help.

“This production reflects an extraordinary amount of work, especially from the students,” he said. “The performance you see is built on steady effort, repeated practice, and a genuine care for one another as they worked to make the show stronger each day.”