Cinderella - Musical Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

Cinderella - Musical

There are three Cinderella musicals written and presented over the years. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella musical was first meant to be for television but was performed as a stage play. It had music by Richard Rodgers. The book and the lyrics were by Oscar Hammerstein II. This version was broadcasted on CBS in color in 1957. It has Julie Andrews in the lead role. The musical is adapted from the French version, Cendrillon, ou la petite pantoufle de verre written by Charles Perrault.

Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is a two-act musical partly based on Hammerstein II’s book (written in 1957). This is a 2013 adaptation produced for Broadway with the same music and lyrics but a few changes to the plot.

However, this musical is based on the book by Douglas Carter Beane. Douglas’s book has more characters and a sympathetic step-sister. It aired 770 performances and was nominated for nine Tony Awards. It won Best Costume Design at the Tony Awards.

The third is Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella musical with music by Andrew Lloyd, lyrics by David Zippel, and a book by Emerald Fennell. It is the latest version of the Cinderella musical and has changed in terms of gender relationships. Plus, it deals with beauty shaming differently. The musical premiered at the West End in 2021. The Broadway version is titled Bad Cinderella.

The Acts, Characters, and Musical Numbers

The 1957 version had three acts, whereas the other two Cinderella musicals consist of two acts. The 1957 television musical version was recreated for the stage in 1965. It had a new script but was still close to the original. This was revived over the years and performed at various famous theaters.

The Douglas Carter Beane version includes a new character, Jean-Michel, a rebel. In Jean-Michel’s version, Cinderella shows the Prince the injustices in his kingdom and exposes the villainous prime minister.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella musical is more of a retelling than an adaptation. It has two princes, an active Queen, and a couple of other characters. There is a gay marriage in the musical where Prince Charming marries his love, Duc de Violette.

The musical garnered mostly positive reviews, along with some mixed reviews. The positive reviews were mainly for the lack of ‘joyfulness’ and its length. The musical numbers were enjoyed by many, though.

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