I first fell in love with Cinderella when I saw the 1965 television production (Truth be told, I had a major jr. high crush on Lesley Ann Warren, who played Ella.) I also enjoyed the 1997 televised version starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. Over the years, I considered doing this wonderful Rodger’s and Hammerstein show a few times. However, the original versions, based on the televised versions, were barely 90 minutes long and left some things to be desired in terms of character development, plot, and other details. So, when I saw this version on Broadway in 2014, I thoroughly enjoyed the additions and improvements. I decided right then that I wanted to direct the “new” Cinderella before too long, and now, here we are! The “Broadway” version that we are doing features the clever humor of Douglas Carter Beane, and some new music. The characters, especially Prince Topher, are more fully developed and you feel as if you understand them better. As you will see, there are also new characters and unexpected surprises. I have been stressing to the cast and crew that we are creating “magic”. This is a classic fairy tale, mixed with the wonderful music of Rodgers and Hammerstein in a new and improved version. Please enjoy the efforts of the cast, crew, and orchestra as they take you to the magical place that is Cinderella.
- Mark Quinlan
