When Carmel High School senior Gabi Bradley auditioned for “Cinderella,” there was no doubt what role she wanted.

Bradley will play the title role in CHS’ production May 9-11 at the school’s auditorium.

“The thing I like most about playing Cinderella is it’s whimsical and fun,” Bradley said. “The costumes are stunning and gorgeous. The music is beautiful, and I also love that as a Black woman, it’s inspiring to get on stage and be admired for your beauty, which is something that’s not normal to see in media. So, I hope that another little Black girl in the audience can see that she can do that too. Having representation is important, I would have loved to see another black woman lead a show or be praised for her beauty. That would have changed so much for me. I’m so honored to have that responsibility.”

Bradley will attend the University of Michigan to major in musical theater and be part of the school’s dance team.

Junior Isaiah Henderson, who plays Prince Topher, said it’s fun performing with Bradley because she is so talented.

“The thing I enjoy the most about the role is the Prince’s inner conflict is that he doesn’t know who he is,” Henderson said. “He’s trying to figure out what he can do for others, and while I’m at a time in my life when I’m figuring out who I am, it’s been exciting to play a character with inner conflict.”

Senior Ella Glowacki plays Charlotte, the mean stepsister.

“It’s fun playing the evil character,” Glowacki said. “I have a history of playing evil characters (like) Veruka Salt in ‘Willy Wonka’ and Scar in ‘The Lion King.’ It’s my favorite thing to do.”

Glowacki said the song she performs is “Stepsisters Lament.”

“It’s very over the top and I’m running around, so I can get out of breath quickly,” she said. “It takes a lot of energy to do but it’s so much fun to do.”

Glowacki said Cinderella is special to her because it’s the first show she saw on Broadway when she was about 6 years old.

“My parents took me to see it and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she said.

Senior Abigail Judy plays Gabrielle, who is a nicer stepsister in this version.

“I get to explore the character development of realizing that Cinderella isn’t all that bad and everybody deserves to be treated equal,” Judy said.

For tickets, visit carmeldrama.org.