Cinderella

Show Description:

Arguably the most beloved of all fairy tales, the Cinderella story has captivated theater-goers for more than 300 years. The subject of operas (Rossini’s La Cenerertola and Massenet’s Cendrillon), ballets (Prokofiev and Johann Strauss), gender inversions (Vivian Ellis’ Mister Cinders), and uncountably many other treatments, its most heart-warming embodiment must surely be the 1957 television musical that Rodgers and Hammerstein crafted for Julie Andrews. Its CBS color broadcast, on March 31, became, according to press reports, the most watched TV program in history—with more than 100,000,000 viewers. Rebounding from two Broadway box-office disappoinments (Me and Juliet and Pipe Dream), the composing team fashioned a totally charming and effecting score, replete with waltzes, marches, and gavottes, but sprinkled with contrasting scenes of great poignancy and comedy. We’ll forgo here a quick rundown of the plot—it is familiar to seemingly everyone—but just invite you, and your entire family, to join us in reveling in the ever-popular “In My Own Little Corner,” “Ten Minutes Ago,” the comic gem “Stepsisters’ Lament,” and the enchanting love duet “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”