That final exam crunch is starting to get to you, and you haven’t been able to watch “Melrose Place” in three weeks because of all of your homework. Your love life is in the toilet, and you are searching for a way to get away from it all (and Calgon’s not the answer). Something that promises to cheer you up and lift your spirits is gracing Stephens Auditorium this Sunday.

The renowned musical team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) have teamed up yet again to bring Cinderella to Ames.

The story is based on Charles Perrault’s classic romantic tale of a young orphan raised in a house of mean stepsisters and stepmother. This girl, Cinderella, dreams that someday she will escape from poverty and meet her ideal man.

Most people are quite familiar with this story, especially since Walt Disney brought Cinderella to the big screen and storybooks. And while that bedtime version is a classic, this particular production has a few twists that make it stand out from the rest.

“It’s not the Disney version,” said Rebecca Fink, who plays one of the wicked stepsisters, Joy. “As far as we can tell, the kids haven’t minded. Cinderella has a little more spunk; the stepsisters are more a part of it in this version. They do more. It still carries the same message that basically impossible things can happen if you believe in them. People leave feeling that.”

People also take the wonderful music home after a performance. This show is jam-packed with great songs, all composed by that magical duo, Rodgers and Hammerstein.

“The music’s really beautiful,” Fink explained. “It’s really lyrical, and there’s some comic, catty stuff with the stepmother and stepsisters, so our songs are a little broader and out-there. And of course, there are some beautiful ballads with Cinderella and the Prince.

“It’s really grown on me. For me, I wasn’t sure how I was gonna like it, but I do now.”

Since Cinderella is such a popular story, most fans are sworn enemies of the evil stepmother and stepsisters who constantly torment their orphan charge. Fink said that that makes for a really interesting part to play.

“Actually, it’s really fun,” she said. “When you have a role that has so many possibilities, so many choices of what you can do, what you can be. With the stepsisters and stepmother, you can do something different every night. The fun part is that you can go for it.”

Besides Cinderella’s mean stepfamily, the tale has recently come under fire for portraying women as passive and relying on men to rescue them through marriage.

Fink said that people, especially children, should be able to glean other, positive messages from the show.

“It’s a coming-of-age story,” she explained. “There are certainly things about Cinderella that are hard to deal with, to look at it from a feminist point of view. There’s a part of Cinderella that’s a child in a dysfunctional home, which is realistically played on stage. It’s not fluff. Maybe some kid in the audience will be able to identify with that part.”

And the sad parts of the show are the ones that may cause a tear or two to well up in the eyes of those in the audience.

“There’s definitely people that cry,” Fink said. “In rehearsal I was definitely moved.”

So even the parents of young children, who have seen the Disney video four million times, will still enjoy the originality and musical genius that Cinderella has to offer.

“I’ve seen productions of fairy-tale musicals that were really just for kids,” Fink said. “This one has more to offer.”

Showtimes for Cinderella are 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for ISU students and youth 18 and under cost $9, $12 and $15. They are available at the Iowa State Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets.