Cindy and the Disco Ball Review – The Retro World of the ’70s

First produced in 2005 at the Falcon Theatre, CINDY AND THE DISCO BALL was revived in 2008 with more music, more dancing, and more dialogue. To quote a 2008 Burbank Leader Review by Mary Burkin, “If you don’t look back fondly on the ‘70s when Gerald Ford was president and pet rocks were wildly popular Christmas presents, then a brief afternoon with Cindy at the Falcon Theatre might change your perspective.” This was a show geared to adolescents and their 40-something parents in the audience who grew up to John Travolta strutting down the streets of Brooklyn.

Cloie Wyatt Taylor – Photo by Jeff Lorch

The updated musical returned again to the Garry Marshall Theatre in Toluca Lake in 2022. It returns again in 2023 with all-new updating and re-staging. CINDY AND THE DISCO BALL is currently bursting with loads of upbeat songs, dancing, and magic courtesy of the creative team of Lori Marshall and Joseph Leo Bwarie (book and lyrics to a bunch of original songs) and Rachael Lawrence (music). The ‘70s take on the classic Cinderella tale has been updated to a groovy 1970s disco setting that takes full advantage of the quirky styles and slam-bang beat of the music of the era.

Audrey Lyn Crabano (center) and cast – Photo by Jeff Lorch

The time is 1976, and the place is Pacific Palisades High School in Los Angeles. Poor Cindy (Saylor Bell Curda) has been relegated to cleaning and doing all the housework while her step-sister Eleanor (Audrey Lyn Crabano) bosses her around like the teenaged diva she is. Things look pretty bleak for Cindy – but she makes the best of it with her passion for photography, her dead mother’s heritage to her. Meanwhile, little known to Cindy, the school newspaper’s student editor Tommy (Thomas Whitcomb) searches for the anonymous photographer who submits those magical photos to the paper. Fast forward to the event all have been waiting for – the disco ball. Anyone familiar with the fairytale knows that this is a pivotal moment in the story.

Thomas Whitcomb, Bobby Hogan, and Karis Brizendine – Photo by Jeff Lorch

But there is a character not yet mentioned – that significant fairy godmother and major supporter of Cindy. In the ‘70s, this crucial character has morphed in Cindy’s Soul Sister (Cloie Wyatt Taylor), who is both narrator and chief dispenser of onstage magic. In her dazzling sequins and glam sparkles, the magic Soul Sister just about steals the show as she sashays across stage and belts out her lyrics with her powerful set of lungs. Next to her, other cast members don’t stand a chance.

Saylor Bell Curda – Photo by Jeff Lorch

CINDY AND THE DISCO BALL remains focused on the younger set as it enters a time machine to bring back the ‘70s for kids who see the era as ancient history. Kudos to Tom Wagman’s scenic design; he does a bang-up job of making a minimal set explode with color and fun. He is ably assisted by JM Montecalvo’s lighting and Robert Arturo Ramirez’s sound. Kudos also to Jessica Champagne-Hansen’s dazzling costumes which glow with verve and vitality and certainly highlight an era where vivid color and bling were the norm. The musical has a spunky live band performing these funky discos tunes.

Saylor Bell Curda and Thomas Whitcomb – Photo by Jeff Lorch

CINDY AND THE DISCO BALL runs through November 6, 2023, with performances at 7 p.m. on Fridays, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 4 p.m. on Sundays. The Garry Marshall Theatre is located at 4252 West Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91505. Tickets range from $40 to $76. For information and reservations, call 818-955-8101 or go online.