Review: True Colors’ ‘Cinderella’ reminds us that magic belongs to the marginalized 

In 1997, a classic fairy tale made new magic when the twinkle of a fairy godmother met the timidity of a ‘round-the-way girl just learning to use her voice in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. 

The True Colors Theatre production of Cinderella opened to a lively crowd on June 12 and will run through July 5 at the Southwest Arts Center. 

The play is inspired by the beloved film starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. But Juel D. Lane, a College Park native and longtime choreographer now in his directorial debut, honors the film’s legacy while his own flair promises young Black audiences that “there’s a world for [them].”

Set amid the vibrance of the 1980s, the play teems with cultural callbacks, bright button-emblazoned dresses, asymmetrical crimped haircuts, leather Kangols, track suits and double-breasted blazers that could dress the cast of New Jack City. 

The choreography pulls from across the Black diaspora and its generations: ballroom voguing, breakdancing, African dance traditions, jazz, modern, footwork, hints of liturgical dance, a touch of capoeira and the ever-adored kicks of Kid ’n Play.

At any moment, the lush palace setting evokes the Caribbean, the Louisiana bayous, the Carolina Lowcountry, the stoops of Crooklyn and somewhere deep in the motherland all at once. That seamlessness shows that Black culture is vast, but its rhythms remain familiar wherever we find ourselves.

That sense of connection and sanctuary is among the production’s greatest strengths.

For Lane — an alumnus of Tri-Cities High School’s magnet program who now spends his days as director of the North Carolina School of the Arts Choreographic Institute — theater has always been a sanctuary. Under the guidance of Dawn Axam and Tony award-winner Freddie Hendricks as a teen, Lane learned discipline and professionalism that have pillared his notable career. Now using movement as his first language, he has reunited with a creative crew of old friends from Tri-Cities and from Hendricks’ Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, such as Cinderella music director RABHI, to craft a space of profound joy.

But there is something almost impossible about watching Cinderella in 2026 and seeing it as merely a happy fairy tale.

Not when so many people are being pushed to the margins. Not when talent, goodness and hard work so often go underappreciated. Not when entire communities are still forced to prove their worth while carrying everyone else on their backs. 

Beneath the whimsy, playful moments and charming romance is a story about breaking free from the margins — whether that means standing up to bullies or evolving from society’s traditions. It’s about the confidence in “becoming,” a theme echoed in the playbill’s reminder that Cinderella’s true magic is not in the crown or the glass slipper but in her ability to dream beyond her circumstances and keep moving toward a future she can feel.

Rising R&B singer Jai’Len Josey — a Tri-Cities graduate who has written and opened for Ari Lennox — embodies that beautifully.

Josey’s star-making performance as Cinderella leads the production with grace, range and emotional intelligence. Her voice feels at once like a single candle gentle enough to coax her mouse friends from the dark corners of a room and a roaring fire clearing a path of her own.

Even in her meekness as the shunned daughter, she insists on her own agency in a journey that is more about choosing herself than waiting to be chosen by a prince.

The chemistry throughout the cast is equally compelling. Every performer arrives fully committed, bringing distinct quirks, physical comedy and powerhouse vocals that make the kingdom feel lived in.

Ithica Tell commands the stage with her thunderous voice as the cruel stepmother. Victor Jackson shines as Lionel, the prince’s attendant, infusing the role with warmth, charisma and impeccable instincts. And though her appearances are brief, LaToya London leaves a lasting impression as Queen Constantina, serving regal elegance against the theatrics of an outspoken mother who longs for a grandchild.

Alongside thoughtful musical direction, Lane’s vision is where the production distinguishes itself. Inspired in part by his late Aunt Gabriel — whom he describes as both a Cinderella and his fairy godmother — Lane grounds the story in the transformative power of being seen by someone who recognizes your gifts before the world does. 

In a moment when many people feel unseen, Cinderella is a timely reminder that worthiness and the magic of dreaming has never just belonged to the powerful, the wealthy or the royal few. Magic has always lived in the margins with the most resilient people and the triumphant realities they create, even when it seems impossible.

Where and When 

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, produced by True Colors Theatre, is on stage at the Southwest Arts Center through July 5. Tickets start at $25 and depend on seating. 915 New Hope Road.

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Angela Oliver is a proud native of old Atlanta who grew up in the West End. A Western Kentucky University journalism and Black studies grad, daily news survivor and member of Delta Sigma Theta, she works in the grassroots nonprofit world while daydreaming about seeing her scripts come alive on the big screen.