A star shines in Salisbury

Giada Blume, 8, striking a pose at Speno Park, performed in eight shows of “Ever After” at the Paper Mill Playhouse from May 21 to June 21.

David Weingrad/Herald

Giada played the Cinderella character in “Ever After,” and was featured in the play’s opening scene.

Courtesy the Blume family

The Blume family: father Robert, Giada, left, mother Janice with 2-year-old Robert Jr. in her arms, and Nadia, 6.

Courtesy the Blume family

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Giada Blume did not hesitate when asked what she wanted to be when she grows up.

“I want to be a star!” the 8-year-old exclaimed with a smile, throwing her arms in the air in an emphatic pose that captured both her theatrical nature and her youthful exuberance.

But this isn’t just your typical child’s daydream — Giada (pronounced jee-odda) is already well on her way. From May 21 to June 21, she performed in eight shows of “Ever After,” a theatrical interpretation of the story of Cinderella, at the historic Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, N.J. She played the younger version of the musical’s protagonist, Danielle — the Cinderella character — and was featured in the opening scene.

Directed by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall and starring two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole, “Ever After” is based on the 1998 film starring Drew Barrymore, which told the “real story” of the classic fairy tale, basing the narrative in Renaissance-era France. Giada, who is also in a flashback scene later in the play, sang in two duets and acted out a sword fight.

This was her first major role, and a dramatic ascent for the Salisbury native who saw her first play only three years ago — “101 Dalmatians,” at the Merrick Theatre and Center for the Arts.

Giada immediately fell in love with the theater, said her mother, Janice, and wanted her own chance to be on stage. Though Janice said she had concerns about the judgmental and competitive nature of the industry, she decided to enroll her daughter in lessons at the Merrick theater.

Her big break came a year later, when, at age 6, she performed outside Disney’s BoardWalk Inn while the family was vacationing in Florida’s Disney World. She sang “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid,” and among the spectators was a talent agent from New York City, who approached Janice afterward and said, “Is that your daughter?” Janice recalled. “She’s amazing. How old is she?”

The Blumes connected with the agent when they got home, and she booked several auditions for Giada, who came close to landing roles in a number of plays — and was even a finalist for NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live!” in 2013, which starred Carrie Underwood — before beating out roughly 100 girls for her role in “Ever After.”