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There is nothing “Grimm” about this version of the classic Cinderella fairytale: high school students draw inspiration from actress Julie Andrews for their upcoming musical.

The Pullman High School will present the 1957 version of Cinderella, performed in a musical style with some amazing singers, said Andrew Mielke, the music teacher and drama coach at PHS.

“First off, it’s a musical, which is a little more complicated than to put on just a straight play without music,” Mielke said. “People love to see the singing and we got really great singers this time. There’s some really fun sets, a pumpkin carriage [and] a two-story-tall town that comes flying in.”

The production will be similar to Julie Andrews’ TV version with music that aired in 1957, Mielke said.

“It’s just different songs than Disney and it’s the basic story of the Disney one,” he said. “It’s new music, but it’s a lot of music that people will recognize. If you’ve seen musical theater before, they’re pretty well-known songs.”

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Mielke said the PHS crew borrowed costumes from WSU because the musical is a period piece, meaning the play is not set in modern times. Some of the costumes include ballroom gowns.

This will be the first production to run in the new PHS auditorium. All the technical equipment, including lights, sound and a fly system, will be fully functional, Mielke said.

“We’re excited to show off a bit more of a technical aspect of a theater than just standing on stage and reading lines,” he said. “We have some really cool light and stage designs.”

The musical is family-friendly and comedic. Attending showings of the play will help support local arts and encourage future shows within the school system, Mielke said.

“There are some plays where it’s like ‘Oh, my cousin is in it so I’m going to watch it,’ and it’s sort of painful to watch,” Mielke said. “This is not that. I think anybody would actually enjoy this, and it’s supporting local arts. The more people we have come to it, the more money we’ll have to put on shows in the future.”

Watching the performance live gives attendees a more meaningful experience than just watching the movie on a screen, Mielke said.

“You can watch ‘Phantom of the Opera’ or ‘Les Mis’ on Blu-ray or DVD, but going and seeing it live is a very different thing,” he said.

The production will run each night at 7 p.m. from Mar. 9 to 11 in the PHS Theater, with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Mar. 11. Admission is $5 for children and students, and $10 for adults.