Justin Lucero is ready to turn a pumpkin into a castle, with a little help from his friends.

For his Minnesota directorial debut, Theater Latté Da’s new artistic director has dug into his bucket list of dream works and come up with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” which opens Saturday at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.

Coming at the holidays, a period that performing arts and other companies rely on to tally a significant part of their earned income, the production is carrying a lot of weight for the theater. It’s also likely to be seen as an announcement of Lucero’s aesthetic vision and even the direction in which he seeks to take Latté Da.

“It’s one of the shows I’ve always wanted to tackle,” Lucero said. “It has all the songs that we love — ‘In My Own Little Corner,’ ‘Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful,’ ‘It’s Possible’ — but is more contemporary.”

Audiences have had a giddy “Cinderella” at the holidays before. Children’s Theatre Company staged an over-the-top panto version with loads of physical comedy in 2016 and a modern take in 2019 that gave nods to Marie Kondo and Lady Gaga.

In text, feel and aesthetic, the Latté Da production is from a different world entirely. While CTC riffed on pop music and culture in its version, Latté Da leans on Douglas Carter Beane’s new script, which is married to the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Lucero’s production also may remind audiences of a noted TV version of “Cinderella” — the 1997 film starring Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother and Brandy as Cinderella.

“Whitney had been trying to get that show produced and wanted to play the role herself, but it took too long, and by the time it was greenlit, she was no longer right for the part,” Lucero said. “But she got Brandy, who she was close to, to play this beautiful Cinderella.”