A CLASSIC FOR KIDS–Tori Glasner is Cinderella and Conner Velarde is Prince Bryan in the Conejo Children’s Theater production of “Cinderella.” It played recently at Conejo Players Theater in Thousand Oaks. Writer/composer Cheryl Talbot has put a new spin on the perennial fairy tale “Cinderella,” which recently completed a run at Conejo Players Theatre. Produced by Deidre Parmenter as part of the Conejo Children’s Theater, the show gives kids a chance to flex their acting and singing muscles within the framework of a familiar story.

Although Rodgers and Hammerstein have already taken a shot at turning the venerable story into a Broadway musical, Talbot, a 10th-grade teacher at Santa Susana High School, infuses her version with a score packed with tuneful songs and a large cast of new, eccentric characters.

One of the reasons Talbot uses so many characters in her shows is to give every cast member a chance to shine in singing, dancing or acting. In fact, with so much dialogue, so many songs and so many featured performers, no one qualifies as an “ensemble” member.

The resulting avalanche of characters almost reduces the magical love story between Cinderella and the prince to the background, but the musical proves to be an ideal way to give youngsters limited but key roles in the story.

The two principles are ably played by Tori Glasner (Cinderella) and Conner Velarde (Prince Bryan). Both have pleasing voices and handle their respective roles with great maturity and likability.

The new character of Rosemary the Cook gives Cinderella an ally in her household. Rosemary’s solo is a patter song, “If Life Gives You Lemons,” that is chiefly a string of clichéd homilies. As Rosemary, Devin Milligan is one of the most charming and poised performers in the show, possessing a fine voice and excellent acting talents.

As often happens in shows starring children, the smallest and most precocious performers stand out, and “Cinderella” is no exception. The best to emerge here is 9-year-old Reagan Kilpatrick, a spitfire of a girl who plays the choice role of Princess Pepper, daughter of the King and Queen.

Sixth-grader Anthony Valdez, who had audiences in stitches with his kinetic performance as the White Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” a year ago, plays Randolph, a young squirt who always seems to have a snappy comment or silly face to upstage everyone.

Another talented youngster is Leili Xin Xin Rackow, who plays Lady Amethyst. Rackow, who was born in China, was first seen in the Conejo Players’ production of “The King and I” two years ago and is already a seasoned performer. You will see a lot of her in future local productions.

Cinderella’s odious stepsisters are played by Ashley Baker (pink hair) and Jayme Armann (blue hair). The two perform their parts like Valley girls with chips on their shoulders and, along with Katie Woerner as their equally grotesque mother, do a good job making their characters as detestable as possible.

Veteran performers Clarissa Barr and Alex Karukas, both 14, play the Queen and King, respectively, while other key roles include Jonathan Ely as Rudolph and Meagan Chew as the sorceress Bernina. The remaining cast members are all marvelous, as they play the myriad courtiers and ladies-in-waiting, not to mention the dancing flower garden.

Upcoming productions by the Conejo Children’s Theater include “Seussical Jr.” and “Stuart Little.”

Visit www.conejoplayers.org for audition information.