I wasn't supposed to review this production. My wife, Amanda Stevens, is in Cinder Edna, so fellow Weekly Volcano scribe Joann Varnell was going to critique it, as she has with several shows during my thespian spring biathlon (Robin Hood and Legally Blonde). Then Joann realized she had Memorial Day plans. I'd already seen the read-through and a rehearsal, and I knew the show's process from Amanda's insider anecdotes. Yet here we are: I'm compromised and probably biased. Let the reader evaluate accordingly.

This is a brand-new show, Olympia Family Theater's second premiere of the season (after Wind in the Willows, currently recording its cast album). It derives from Ellen Jackson's 1998 book of the same name, in which Edna, the girl who lives next door to sad sack Cinder Ella, goes through a parallel life change after the royal family throws a ball. (A Minnesota troupe called Stages Theatre Company wrote and debuted its own musical version last year.) This Olympia incarnation was written primarily by Ted Ryle and directed by Kate Ayers - and it's every bit an Olympia entertainment, with progressive sociopolitical attitudes and an Evergreen shout-out.

See, Ella (Ingrid Goebel) and Edna (Carolyn Willems-Van Dijk) have opposing approaches to hardship. Ella bemoans her fate and dreams of a "deus ex machina" that'll sweep her away to fame and fortune. (This script also invokes the legend of Sisyphus. I loved Cinder Edna's collegiate vocabulary, which never confused young audience members.) Meanwhile, Edna and her parrot friend Georgie (performed by Priscilla Zal) carpe the diem by starting an underground catering business. Edna impresses Prince Rupert, not with her looks or pedicure, but by supporting recycling efforts, inventing her own dances, and displaying sharp wit. She's an inspiring role model for twenty-first century girls.

OFT's production impresses from the get-go, thanks to Jill Carter's luminous stagecraft. The songs vary from fine to flat-out great, with Willems-Van Dijk's rendition of "Pebbles and Boulders" a particular earworm delight. The cast juggles multiple roles smoothly and, for the most part, effectively. Note the contrast between Ben Matthews's upper-class twit of a king and the character Royce, who "hears a voice" which compels him to ride the bus all day. (That's an eerie and surprisingly mature note in a show for kids, and thank God.) Xander Layden has the silken-voiced charisma of a young Tim Curry - get well soon, Tim! - and yes, Amanda Stevens is pretty great, too.

My on- and offstage careers often overlap. I try my best to keep those responsibilities separate, though I'm not always sure how well I'm doing. The truth is I enjoyed this show so deeply that I fear you'll chalk my unmitigated admiration up to husbandly bias. It's an obvious labor of love for Ryle and OFT, and I hope it breaks out nationwide.

CINDER EDNA, through June 9, 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 1 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday, Olympia Family Theater, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, $9-$19, 360.753.8586