Where is this castle anyway?

If you've talked to me ever or read any article on this blog, you already know I LOVE TEAM STARKID. So naturally, when they announced that their new musical, Cinderella's Castle was coming out on YouTube on April 4th, you already know I was SAT. Cinderella's Castle is something very new for them, as for the past few years, they've been focusing most of their musicals on the fictional town of Hatchetfield, a town prone to disaster of the supernatural sort. While this lore was all well and good for me, I was getting a bit bored with it, so hearing that they were doing a dark reimagining of a beloved children's fairy tale excited me beyond belief. 

I already knew from the fact that the Kickstarter for this project hit the second highest for any theatre project that this was going to be high budget but OH MY GOD I was not ready. The puppets, costumes, and sets in this show are incredible, without any spoilers, it's so beautiful to see how far they've come from the weird puppets in Starship, and the puppets are honestly one of the best part of Cinderella's Castle. Now to answer the question as seen in the title. 

THERE'S A CASTLE ON THE HILL AS THE STORY GOES. 

These 10 words were basically all we got in the kickstarter video promos for the musical, and when I heard it on the youtube livestream I screeched so loud I believe all the dogs in my area entered high alert. By the way, before anybody tries to tell me I'm not a real fan, I woke up at 3:30 AM just so that I could watch this on the live stream. Even though it was going to release on youtube later anyway, I truly believe that nothing beats the excitement of getting up early to watch something you know you're going to love. 

Let's break it down, it's drillin time. Here were my ratings for all the songs on the first watch:

Cinderella's castle: 6/10

cursed crazy: 9/10

step on your grave:10/10

last forever: 9/10

facade: 11/10

ash to ash: 8/10

Neon: 7/10

Ever After: 5/10

Watch: 3/10

Watch (Reprise): 4/10

Ash to Ash (Reprise): 7/10

Trappings of Starlight: 5/10

Finale: 5/10

As you can see, everything before Neon is rated very highly, and I stand by the fact that every single act 1 song is an absolute banger. That being said, act 2 certainly could have been shortened, as there were times when I found myself getting bored and sleepy (although that may have just been the fact that it was 4am by this point). That being said, I still think this musical is excellent and truly worth a watch. If you enjoy high budget productions, funny and slightly dark humor, you will like this show. 

From the outrageously funny stepmother and stepsisters, now in troll form, to the hilariously immature Prince Tadius, every single actor ate and left no crumbs. Bryce Charles, starring as Ella did an excellent job, and I simply can't wait to see her star in more Starkid Productions. The entire story is dark, but not in some cringe edgy way (COUGH COUGH BAD CINDERELLA COUGH COUGH). I think the character that exemplifies this best is the fairy godmother, played by the striking Kim Whalen. Far from a kind old woman waving a wand and singing, the fairy queen of sweet dreams is a dark eldritch force. She doesn't help Ella out of the kindness of her heart, nor is she good or evil, she simply is. 

In conclusion, the story is dark, but it has themes of kindness and many moments of hilarity. It teaches us that a happy ending isn't always conventional, and that a heroine can seek revenge against evil without it diminishing her goodness. Ultimately, Cinderella's Castle forces us to question our own preconceptions about good or evil, and leaves us wondering if everything is really as it seems.