From rags to riches with a little bit of magical help, Cinderella makes impossible dreams come true on the Eisenhower Auditorium stage tonight.

The classic fairy tale will be brought to life by NETworks Production Company and the enchanting music of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

"Watching the story unfold on stage truly puts you in the moment," said Laura Sullivan, Center for the Performing Arts spokeswoman.

Cinderella may be a children's fairy tale, but it relays an adult theme that anything is possible, she said.

"People can take away a good feeling from this show," Sullivan said.

Joyce Friedmann, NETworks spokeswoman, said the story is a part of many cultures.

"The story is 3,000 years old," Friedmann said.

"It has been rewritten for every culture and every generation, giving everyone an opportunity to relate to it in their own way," Friedmann added.

Friedmann also said this is a great show for families to share because both mothers and daughters have grown up with it.

Before every performance, Eisenhower hosts a special interactive hour called "artistic viewpoint."

Children get to meet cast members and ask questions about the production. For Cinderella, the artistic viewpoint program is taking a different direction.

"It's a pajama party," Sullivan said of the production.

"Since the show is on a school night and is a full two hours, we thought enjoying the show in pajamas would allow for a smooth transition home at the end of the night," she said.

Cinderella herself is familiar with the Eisenhower stage.

Kirsten Rossi, who plays Cinderella, graduated from Penn State in 2000 with a degree in musical theatre.

Rossi is returning to the Penn State community's open arms.

"We're all so excited to see her," said Spence Ford, a dance instructor in the School of Theatre Arts.

Ford said she knows how tough show business can be for young actors, and for Rossi to achieve such success so soon is really special.

"It's proof that if you really focus and develop yourself, you can achieve your goals," Ford said of Rossi.

Rossi said she feels she's come full-circle.

"What I've been doing throughout this tour is what I was trained at Penn State to do," she said.

"I owe my talent and a lot of who I am to my instructors here," Rossi said.

Ford said Rossi is the perfect Cinderella, and Rossi agreed that sometimes she feels like she fits the role.

"I'm young and hopeful, and a hopeless romantic," Rossi said.

"And being an actor in New York City, you work hard and sometimes feel like you're never getting anywhere, until you get that one great opportunity, and that's what this is for me," she said.

Rossi said that the show has been very well-received by audiences.

She credits this success to the production's combination of tradition and addition of new, more adult aspects.

Friedmann agrees.

"Rather than the fairy godmother magically doing everything for Cinderella, this fairy godmother simply helps Cinderella find the strength inside herself to make her dreams come true," Friedmann said.

Cinderella is at 7:30 tonight at Eisenhower Auditorium. Tickets are $25/$21 for general audience members and $13/$9 for students.