Sisters play Cinderella and one of her stepsisters in Thousand Oaks musical

In a production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" at La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, two real-life sisters square off in the battle to win the heart of Prince Charming.

Lacey Smith, 18, plays Cinderella in the musical, and her 13-year-old sister, Hailey, plays her stepsister Joy.

While the two shared the stage in "Kiss Me Kate" at the Catholic girls school last year, these roles are Lacey Smith's first lead and Hailey Smith's first major one.

"It's kind of funny because she's my actual sister and my stepsister on stage, and we like to call it method acting at home," said Lacey Smith, a senior, ahead of last Sunday's matinee.

So who's the real "evil" sister at home?

"She has a lot of control," Hailey said of Lacey, who acknowledged she tends to be bossy.

"So it is a lot of fun being able to yell at her and tell her what to do," said Hailey Smith, laughing.

The eighth-grader said being in the production with her big sister has helped bring them closer together.

"It's really nice to have someone you really trust and say, 'Hey, how did I sound?' It's nice to have an opinion you can trust," Lacey Smith said. "And it's nice to go home and still have that connection with the show."

Their mother, Amy Smith, said seeing her two daughters perform onstage together is a mother's dream.

"It's fantastic," she said. "It's great that they have the same passion and can share this interest."

Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" was written for television and originally broadcast on CBS in 1957. Julie Andrews played the title role. A second version was broadcast in 1965, and a television remake in 1997 starred Brandy, Whitney Houston and Whoopi Goldberg.

La Reina is basing its production on the third version. The show is directed by Robin Privat, the head of the school's fine and practical arts department.

"I am a very traditional Cinderella in a sense, but in this version, Cinderella really has to go and find her dream. She's the one who has to take the initiative before the godmother will grant her her wish," Lacey Smith said. "It's just such a good message, and it's really a timeless story: You're never too old to dream, and nothing's impossible."

The Smith sisters also played a role in finding the show's Prince Charming.

"Their father works with my dad, and he knew that I sing, and he asked if I was interested in trying out, and it just took off from there," said Michael Mancuso, 17.

The Westlake High School senior has been doing musical theater since he was in first grade and said being one of four boys taking part in a production at an all-girls private school hadn't proved too daunting.

"Yes, we're outnumbered, but they're nice," he said. "It's so much fun. It's beyond anything I expected it to be, and I am so glad that I did it."

The Smith sisters appear onstage in three of the six performances of the show because the two stepsister roles are double-cast.

The show concludes with three performances this weekend: 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Smith sisters will perform in the last show.

Tickets to the show cost $8 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets are available at the door or online in the arts section of the school's website, http://www.lareina.com