Watching two old dead white guys arguing about 19th century politics sounds a bit of a losing proposition, dramatically speaking. But Norman Corwin’s The Rivalry manages to make the Lincoln-Douglas debates fascinating, in part by borrowing from Lincoln’s other writings and in part by breaking up the inevitable speechifying by using Douglas’ vivacious wife Adele (Colleen Kollar Smith) as narrator.

The Rivalry plays through May 23 at Lamb’s Players Theatre. Deborah Gilmour Smyth directs.

The year is 1858 and the upstart Lincoln is trying to unseat the hotheaded “Little Giant” of the U.S. Senate. Fellow attorneys who had opposed each other in court, they are now on a seven-city road trip, debating not the institution of slavery but its spread into states that did not yet have it.

Lincoln (David Cochran Heath) is opposed to slavery not for moral or egalitarian reasons but because he really feels the nation cannot exist half slave and half free, and though the well-known “house divided” quote did not originate in the debates (he’d used it first in accepting his party’s nomination for the Senate), it certainly fits handily in the argument.

Douglas (Robert Smyth) is the man with the reputation at this time, a sitting Senator and a skilled debater with presence and authority, who argues for popular sovereignty – that states should be allowed to decide the issue for themselves.

But Lincoln, despite his lanky frame, serious demeanor and less-than-handsome features, has a secret weapon – a disarmingly down-home approach and a seemingly endless storehouse of humorous stories illustrating his points.

Watching these two in freewheeling debate, without the modern intrusions of moderators, time limits and prepared questions, almost makes you long for the old days of political campaigning.

Smyth is wondrously effective as the bulldog Douglas, supremely confident of his positions – and his ability to win the election. Even his opening-night call for a line (never before seen from this consummate pro) had a panache that fit the character.

Lincoln’s overwhelming inner sadness spilled over to his outer demeanor, but Corwin gives Heath the tools to bring his humor to light as well. It is a totally engaging performance.

The unsung heroine here is Smith’s Adele Douglas, a beautiful and intelligent woman whose job it is to humanize these giants of history; her scenes with her husband before the debates and with Lincoln on the train are the most revealing of who these men were, and the most “human” sections of the play.

Set designer Michael McKeon has added helpful back projections to his simple but effective set – a large platform for the debate arena, staircases at each side and the floor for “offstage” interactions between Lincoln and Adele and the Douglases. Deborah Gilmour Smyth contributed original music and Jeanne Reith created some lovely gowns for Smith and smart coats for the men.

The most effective quote used here isn’t from the debates at all, but it certainly has the ring of timeliness. In 1855, Lincoln wrote to Joshua Speed of the Declaration of Independence, “When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read: ‘All men are created equal except negroes, foreigners and Catholics.’ When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”

Everything and nothing changes in the world of politics.

The Rivalry plays through May 23, 2010 at Lamb’s Players Theatre. Shows Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinees Saturday at 4 and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 619-437-6050 or visit www.lambsplayers.org.

Few fairy tales are more satisfying to young girls than Cinderella. What girl doesn’t see herself as an exploited servant who has to pick up her clothes and make the bed? And who doesn’t fantasize about becoming a princess, with other people to do those boring chores?

Coronado Playhouse presents the stage version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1957 Cinderella (originally written for television) through May 30. Thomas Fitzpatrick (who helmed last season’s hit The It Girl) directs.

Musical comedy on television was the new kid on the block at the time, NBC having dipped a toe in with an extremely successful broadcast of Mary Martin’s Broadway smash Peter Pan in 1955. Seeking to repeat, they asked Rodgers and Hammerstein to write a musical expressly for television. When CBS heard about it, they offered R & H the chance to write for the 21-year-old Julie Andrews, then starring in My Fair Lady on Broadway. That convinced the team to take on the project for CBS. Sixty percent of the population of the country watched that 1957 broadcast.

This isn’t an American story, where hard work and innovation are rewarded. This is magic, where a virtuous (and, not incidentally, beautiful) girl (Anya Tuerk) treated like a slave by her mean stepmother (Laura Scarafone) and stepsisters (Nicol Reeves and Jennifer Purviance) gets a little help from her Fairy Godmother (Jennie Gray Connard) and wins the heart of the prince.

Cinderella is pleasant enough, and Coronado offers a sprightly production with colorful costumes and a lovely pair (Tuerk and Frank Remiatte) playing Cinderella and the Prince. The enthusiasm of the cast is infectious and you have to giggle at the sight of this gang in fantasyland doing a tap dance.

But I have a beef with the creators of the show. It lacks magic, the one thing it demands. The music isn’t vintage Rodgers and Hammerstein, but rather a collection of ditties with nary a showstopper among them. The aforementioned tap-dance number is as close as it gets to a production number.

And the characters! Why did they make the godmother a ditz? Worse, why did they dumb down the already simple message by making the stepsisters into grimacing vaudeville characters? It doesn’t seem much of a trick for Cinderella (or even me) to beat out these grotesque creatures in their hideous dresses.

Still, Fitzpatrick has marshaled his forces well, there’s plenty of color, lots of less-than-subtle humor and the opening-night audience seemed to be having a great time. And for Rodgers and Hammerstein fans, here’s a chance to see a seldom-produced show.

Cinderella plays through May 30, 2010 at Coronado Playhouse. Shows Thurday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m; Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 619-435-4856 or visit www.coronadoplayhouse.com