Here's a shrewd bit of advice for parents of girlie-girls who would give anything for a run-in with a real, live prince: Strategically seat your daughter on the aisle during the Raleigh Little Theatre's holiday production of Cinderella.

In his quest to track down Cinderella, the prince prowls the aisles trying the glass slipper on the feet of willing little girls. (Often, he'll try his luck with a mom or two as well.)

Most young girls are thrilled by the attention. But the first time theater spokeswoman Sarah Corrin saw the show, one earnest subject rebelled. "You can't try it on me!" she cried. "I'm not Cinderella. You have to go find Cinderella."

To Corrin's knowledge, such an outburst hasn't been repeated in the 21 years the show has been running. "I was just dying, it was so cute," Corrin said.

The slipper also played a pivotal role in the life of Suzanna Dupree, who stars as Cinderella in this year's production. "They sat me up on stage when I was 1 and put it on my foot," she said.

Dupree, a 17-year-old junior at Ravenscroft, joined the cast at age 7 as a "mouse pony" pulling Cinderella's enchanted pumpkin. She played that roll for four years; this is her first year back since.

"When I was a mouse pony, I always looked up to Cinderella and it was such a big deal to be in the same room with her," Suzanna said.

As for the current production's crop of ponies, Suzanna said she didn't know if they felt the same sense of awe. "I hope they do!"

Cinderella started out in the 1980s as a one-time show, but it proved so popular that the theater brought it back again and again. Now, it's become the theater's traditional holiday show. It's an unexpected alternative to "The Nutcracker" or "A Christmas Carol."

At 90 minutes long with no intermission, the show is recommended for kids ages 3 and older. Geared as it is toward children, the performance is far shorter than a typical musical. But it's every bit as elaborate, Corrin said.

"You get all the costumes and the glitz and the nice stuff, but for someone who can't sit still for 2 1/2 or 3 hours, it works out great," she said.

The show's long run has in itself inspired longevity. Take the actress playing Cinderella's stepmother, Jo Brown; she's been in the show every one of its 21 years, although sometimes as the stepmother's alterego -- the fairy godmother.

In the local version of Cinderella, which is based on traditional English pantomime, the stepsisters who torment Cinderella are men.

Corrin said during the Christmas season, English pantomime often features "funky cartoony" productions of fairy tales. In almost all of the productions, men play women or vice versa.

"The truth of the matter is, they're much uglier and funnier as men than if they were played by women," Corrins said.

It's easy to pick out the impostors, even for a child. Even though they're decked out in 18th-century costumes with poufy wigs, their size gives them away. "They're so much larger and not as graceful on their feet and just very, very funny," Corrin said.

Cinderella runs today through Dec. 19 at Fletcher Opera Theater in the BTI Center. Tickets are $15 to $25. For information and tickets, call 821-3111 or go to www.raleighlittletheatre.org.

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