Synopsis

CHARACTERS

Ceni, Roberto, Carlos, Consuelo, Monica and Veronica,

Tio Antonio and Tia Josefina, Pepe & Paco.

THE STORY

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Abandoned by the death of her parents Maria and Roberto, Cenicienta is forced to live and serve her stepmother, Consuelo, and twin stepsisters,
Monica and Veronica. Consuelo persuades Ceni’s Tio Antonio and Tia
Josefina to sponsor the quinceañera for her twin daughters. When Tio
realizes that Ceni is the “true” daughter of his beloved brother, he insists that
Ceni is honored at the quinceañera as well, much to the chagrin of her
stepmother and stepsisters. Roberto, Ceni’s deceased father, is an ever-present ghost during the play and interacts with Ceni, Tio Antonio, and

mariachis through dialogue and song.
Consuelo and the stepsisters do their best to prevent Ceni from having a
successful quinceañera, but Tio and Tia, having realized her situation, see to
it that she has a beautiful dress, crown, and shoes for her big night. Ceni
meets her date, Carlos, for the evening only at the beginning of the
quinceañera waltz. They immediately fall in love, again to the dismay of her
stepmother and stepsisters.
Even though the stepsisters try to out-dance her, Ceni is not thwarted. They
finally pull a stunt that humiliates her and causes her to leave the quinceañera
without her “finishing” the traditional ceremonies involved (shoe ceremony,
crown ceremony, doll ceremony). She returns home humiliated and
destroyed where, much to the delight of her step-relatives, she refuses to
speak to the ghost of her father, Roberto or Tio Antonio. Determined to help
Ceni, Tio summons Carlos to discuss how they might help Ceni.

While he waits for Carlos, he muses to himself about her plight. Unbeknownst
to him, Roberto the ghost is listening and speaking to him. Roberto places a
Ceni’s childhood doll on a bench and Tio finds it. When Tio spots it, he
suddenly hears Roberto’s voice who tells him to help Ceni “finish” her
quinceañera. Carlos arrives and Tio tells him he knows how to help Ceni and
they rush out.
The final scene opens at the quinceañera party hall. Tio and Carlos have
gathered all the guests and musicians who were present the night before for a
“surprise” quinceañera for Ceni. In the center of the hall is a throne with her
childhood doll. As she approaches, all hide. She enters and sees the doll. She
begins to dance with it. Suddenly, Tio and Tia appear. Tio demands that she
relinquish to him the “doll of her childhood” (Doll Ceremony) and then he
changes her shoes (Shoe Ceremony) and Tia places the quinceañera crown on
her head (Crown Ceremony). Tio dances with her as the mariachis begin to
play and the guests emerge from hiding. Consuelo and the twins enter and try
to stop what is happening. They are prevented in their attempts by Tia, who
also informs them that Ceni will be coming to live with them that very day!
Carlos joins the mariachis on stage in song, then dances with Ceni. The show
ends with a finale “Cancion de Amor” sung by the cast.

THE MUSIC
Cenicienta is a family-oriented script portraying a traditional event in the
Hispanic community, music-driven with a high dose of mariachi music
blended with cumbia, tango, salsa, merengue, and cha cha cha.