Cinderella (musical)

This article is about the 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. For other works of the same name, see Cinderella (disambiguation).

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
DVD cover for Julie Andrews Cinderella.
Genre	Musical telefilm
Directed by	Ralph Nelson
Produced by	Richard Lewine
Written by	Oscar Hammerstein II
Starring	Julie Andrews Jon Cypher Edith Adams Kaye Ballard Alice Ghostley
Music by	Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II
Country	United States
Language	English
Original channel	CBS
Release date	March 31, 1957
Running time	76 min

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is a musical written for television, with music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based upon the fairy tale Cinderella, particularly the French version Cendrillon, ou la Petite Pantoufle de Vair, by Charles Perrault. The story concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters, who dreams of a better life. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella is transformed into a Princess and finds her Prince.

Cinderella is the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical written for television. It was originally broadcast live on CBS on March 31, 1957 as a vehicle for Julie Andrews, who played the title role. The broadcast was seen by over 100 million people. It was subsequently remade for television twice, in 1965 and 1997. The 1965 version starred Lesley Ann Warren, and the 1997 one starred Brandy, in the title role. Both remakes add songs from other Richard Rodgers musicals.

Cinderella has also been adapted for the stage.

History

In 1955, NBC had broadcast the Broadway musical Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin. It was a hit, and NBC looked for more family-oriented musical projects. Richard Rodgers had previously supplied the Emmy Award-winning score for Victory at Sea, a documentary series about World War II. NBC approached Rodgers and Hammerstein and asked them to write an original musical expressly for television, then a novel idea. The team decided to adapt the fairy tale Cinderella and, new to television, they sought the advice of an industry insider, Richard Lewine. Lewine was then the Vice President in charge of color television at CBS. He told Rodgers and Hammerstein that CBS was also seeking a musical project and had already signed Julie Andrews, who was then starring in My Fair Lady on Broadway. Rodgers recalled, in his autobiography: "What sold us immediately was the chance to work with Julie."^[1] So the team signed with CBS.

Rodgers and Hammerstein retained ownership of the show and had control over casting, direction, set and costumes, while CBS controlled the technical aspects of the broadcast and had an option for a second broadcast. CBS announced the production on September 5, 1956. Hammerstein was interviewed by the Saturday Review about the adaptation: "We want the kids who see it to recognize the story they know. Children can be very critical on that score. But, of course, their parents will be watching too, so we have tried to humanize the characters without altering the familiar plot structure."^[1] The musical had to fit into the 90-minute program with six commercial breaks, so it was divided into six short acts. In an interview with Time Magazine, Hammerstein said that "It took me seven months to write the book and lyrics for Cinderella".^[1]

Rehearsals started on February 21, 1957. Emmy Award-winning director Ralph Nelson and choreographer Jonathan Lucas, who had choreographed for The Milton Berle Show, were both experienced with musical material on television. Rodgers' friend, Robert Russell Bennett, provided the orchestrations. Alfredo Antonini, a veteran with CBS, conducted. In early March, the company moved to CBS Color Studio 72,^[2] the first color studio in New York and smallest color studio in the CBS empire at the time. The 56 performers, 33 musicians and 80 stagehands and crew worked crammed into the small studio together with four giant RCA color cameras, a wardrobe of up to 100 costumes, over half a dozen huge set pieces, and numerous props and special effects equipment. The orchestra played in a small room with special equipment to overcome the suppressed acoustics. CBS invested in a massive marketing campaign, as did the sponsors.^[1] It was broadcast live on March 31, 1957.

Synopsis

Act I

In the village square, a Herald proclaims: "The Prince Is Giving a Ball" to celebrate the Prince's 21st birthday. The ladies of the kingdom are thrilled at the prospect of meeting him. Cinderella, whose beloved father has died, takes care of the home of her ill-tempered and selfish stepmother and stepsisters. She carries all of their shopping parcels for them, and when they return home, all three order Cinderella about. Left alone in her corner near the fire, she dreams of living an exotic life as a princess or anything other than a servant ("In My Own Little Corner"). Meanwhile, the King and Queen get ready for the big celebration ("Royal Dressing Room Scene") and the servants discuss the planning for the feast ("Your Majesties"). They hope that their son will find a suitable bride, but the Prince is a bit apprehensive about meeting all the eager women of the kingdom. The Queen is touched by overhearing the King's discussion with his son and tells him she loves him ("Boys and Girls Like You and Me" [sometimes omitted, and not sung in any of the telecasts]).

As Cinderella's stepsisters get ready for the Ball, hoping that they will catch the Prince's eye, they laugh at Cinderella's dreams. Finally they leave, and Cinderella imagines having gone with them ("In My Own Little Corner" (reprise)). Cinderella's Fairy Godmother appears and, persuaded by the fervor of Cinderella's wish to go to the Ball, she transforms Cinderella into a beautifully-gowned young lady and her little mouse friends and a pumpkin into a glittering carriage with impressive footmen ("Impossible; It's Possible") and she leaves for the Ball.

Act II

Cinderella arrives at the palace at 11:30; before she enters, her Godmother warns her not to stay past midnight. The Prince has been bored by the attention of all the young ladies with whom he has had to dance, including the stepsisters. Cinderella's grand entrance immediately attracts everyone's attention and intrigues the Prince. They dance together and instantly fall in love ("Ten Minutes Ago"). Seeing the Prince with a petite beauty (whom they do not recognize), the stepsisters ask why he wouldn't prefer a substantial "usual" girl like them ("Stepsisters' Lament"). The Prince and Cinderella dance and find themselves with a private moment, and he declares his love for her ("Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"). As they share a kiss, the clock begins to strike midnight, and Cinderella flees before the magic wears off; but in her haste, she drops a glass slipper.

Act III

The next morning, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters reminisce about the Ball and find that Cinderella is very intuitive about what it must have been like going to the Ball ("When You're Driving Through the Moonlight") and dancing with the Prince ("A Lovely Night"). Meanwhile, the Prince is searching for the beauty with whom he danced, and who fled so quickly from the Ball. His Herald tries the slipper on all the ladies ("The Search"). At Cinderella's house, the slipper will not fit any of the ladies. Everyone tries to steer the Prince away from the servant girl, Cinderella, but she is not home; she is in the Palace garden. The prince returns to the Palace dejected by his lack of success. Prodded by the fairy godmother, his Herald tries the slipper on Cinderella. It fits, and the prince recognizes his beloved ("Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" (reprise)). Cinderella and the Prince marry, and all ends happily.

Musical numbers

The original version contains the following songs:^[3]

Act I "Overture" (instrumental) "The Prince Is Giving a Ball" (Herald and Chorus) "Cinderella March" (instrumental) "In My Own Little Corner" (Cinderella) "The Prince Is Giving a Ball" (Reprise) (Chorus) "Your Majesties" (Royal Dressing Room Scene) (King, Queen, Chef, Steward) "In My Own Little Corner" (Reprise) (Cinderella) "Impossible; It's Possible" (Cinderella and Fairy Godmother)

Act II "Gavotte" (instrumental) "Ten Minutes Ago I Saw You" (Prince and Cinderella) "Stepsisters' Lament" (Stepsisters) "Waltz for a Ball" (instrumental and Chorus) "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" (Prince and Cinderella) "Never In a Thousand Years" (eventually omitted from the production) Act III "When You're Driving Through the Moonlight" (Cinderella, Stepmother, Stepsisters) "A Lovely Night" (Cinderella, Stepmother, Stepsisters) "The Search" (instrumental) "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" (reprise) (Prince) "Wedding" (instrumental) "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" (reprise) (Chorus)

In some productions, additional numbers added include, "Loneliness of Evening" (cut from South Pacific and introduced in the 1965 broadcast), a song for the prince; and "Boys and Girls like You and Me" (cut from Oklahoma! and subsequently other shows), for the queen and king (in the Royal Dressing Room Scene), which appears in the show's published vocal score.^[4][5][6] The 1997 TV version added, among others, "Falling in Love with Love" for the Stepmother.

Television productions

1957 original production

The original 1957 broadcast was directed by Ralph Nelson with choreography by Jonathan Lucas and starred Julie Andrews as Cinderella and Jon Cypher as The Prince. It also featured Howard Lindsay as The King, Dorothy Stickney as The Queen, Edith Adams as the Fairy Godmother, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley as stepsisters Portia and Joy, Ilka Chase as the Stepmother, and Iggie Wolfington as The Steward. Betty Noyes played a mother in the ensemble who sings a brief solo, and Joe Layton appeared uncredited in the ensemble.^[7]

On Sunday, March 31, 1957, at 8:00pm Eastern time, Cinderella was broadcast live in the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones in both black and white and compatible color; the West Coast received a delayed black and white only broadcast starting at 8:00pm Pacific time. Beyond the United States, it was carried by CBS affiliates in the U.S. territories of Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico; in Canada it was broadcast on CBC.^[8] It was produced for $376,000, which was very expensive for its time, and was heavily promoted by its sponsors Pepsi-Cola and the Shulton Company (then maker of Old Spice).^[1]

1965 version

After its success as a stage production, the network decided another television version of Cinderella was needed. The 1957 premiere had been broadcast before videotape had been perfected, so only one performance could be shown. CBS mounted another production in 1965 with Richard Rodgers as Executive Producer. This re-make used a new script that hewed closer to the traditional tale, commissioned by Rodgers (Hammerstein had died in 1960) and written by Joseph Schrank, although nearly all of the original songs were retained and sung in their original settings. A new sequence opens the story, in which the Prince stops at Cinderella's house with his retinue for a drink of water after returning from his travels. Cinderella, home alone, and not knowing who the handsome traveler is until a page utters the words "Your Highness", kindly gives the Prince water from the well. Shortly afterwards, the Prince sings "Loneliness of Evening", which had been composed for South Pacific in 1949 but not sung in that musical.^[9] Cinderella sings "In My Own Little Corner" before there is any mention of the prince giving a ball. The names of the stepsisters were also changed from the original production, and the Royal Dressing Room Scene was omitted.^[1]

The 1965 version was directed by Charles S. Dubin^[9] with choreography by Eugene Loring and recorded on videotape (at CBS Television City in Hollywood) for later broadcast. The cast featured Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon as the King and Queen; Celeste Holm as the Fairy Godmother; Jo Van Fleet as the Stepmother, with Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick as her daughters Prunella and Esmerelda; and Stuart Damon as the Prince. Lesley Ann Warren was "introduced" in the title role. The film also features rare on camera appearances by dubbers Betty Noyes and Bill Lee, who play a couple that briefly sing about their daughter (played by Trudi Ames).^[10] The first broadcast was on February 22, 1965, and it was rebroadcast eight times through February 1974.^[1]

1997 version

Main article: Cinderella (1997 film)

The 1997 television re-make, the only one of the three versions shot on film, was adapted by Robert L. Freedman and directed by Robert Iscove, with choreography by Rob Marshall. It was produced by Whitney Houston and Debra Martin Chase for Walt Disney Productions and aired on November 2, 1997. This version featured a racially diverse cast, with Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother, Bernadette Peters as Cinderella's stepmother, Paolo Montalbán as the prince, Whoopi Goldberg as the queen, Victor Garber as the king and Jason Alexander as Lionel, the herald. Several songs were added, including "Falling in Love with Love", sung by the Stepmother; "The Sweetest Sounds" from the musical No Strings, sung by Cinderella and the Prince; and "There's Music in You," written for the 1953 film Main Street to Broadway, sung as the finale by the Fairy Godmother.^[11] The broadcast was very popular, with an audience of 60 million viewers.^[12]

Changes to the Hammerstein plot in this version include the following: The Fairy Godmother begins the story, explaining that nothing is impossible. Disguised as a peasant, the Prince (feeling isolated in the castle) wanders in the marketplace (worrying his herald, Lionel), meets Cinderella, and they find each other charming. At the ball, embarrassed by questions about her family and background, Cinderella escapes to the garden in tears, where the Fairy Godmother appears for moral support. After her stepmother returns from the ball and is particularly cruel, Cinderella packs her belongings to run away from home. Her Fairy Godmother advises her to share her feelings with the Prince. After trying the slipper on all the other maidens, the Prince and Lionel overtake Cinderella on her journey to freedom. Meeting her gaze, the Prince recognizes her and places the slipper on her foot. At their wedding, the Fairy Godmother blesses the couple.

Stage productions

The musical was first performed on stage at the London Coliseum, together with a 1958 holiday pantomime adaptation of Cinderella that also used songs from Me & Juliet. Harold Fielding produced this version, which opened on December 18, 1958 and played through the holiday season. Yana, played Cinderella.^[1] Also appearing were Bruce Trent, Jimmy Edwards, Tommy Steele and Betty Marsden.

Stage versions began to appear in U.S. theatres by 1961.^[1] The New York City Opera produced the musical in 1993 and 1995, with the Fairy Godmother being played by Sally Ann Howes and the Stepmother played by Nancy Marchand and Jean Stapleton. It revived the production in 2004 with Eartha Kitt as the Fairy Godmother and Dick Van Patten as the King, among other television stars.^[13] A United States tour played from late 2000 through 2001 and starred Kitt as the Fairy Godmother, with Deborah Gibson and later Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Cinderella, Paolo Montalbán as the Prince, and, in a casting twist, a gender-bending Everett Quinton playing the Stepmother.^[14]

A 30-week Asian tour of Cinderella starred Lea Salonga and Australian Peter Saide. The production was directed by Bobby Garcia, with choreography by Vince Pesce, costume design by Renato Balestra. Sets were designed by David Gallo and lighting design was by Paul Miller. The tour started in Manila, Philippines on July 29, 2008. The show then went on to several cities in China, including Xian, Zhengzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Gunagzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. It then toured in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan.^[15] A cast album was issued in 2008.

Promotional poster for Tokyo production

An all-female production of the musical in Japan in 2008 featured J-Pop group Morning Musume and veteran members of the Takarazuka Revue The production ran throughout August 2008, at Shinjuku Koma Theater. The lead roles of Cinderella and the Prince were performed by Morning Musume members Ai Takahashi and Risa Niigaki.^[16][17]

Reception

The 1957 version of Cinderella was seen by the largest audience in history at the time of its premiere: 107,000,000 people in the USA, fully 60% of the country’s population at that time. Variety estimated that 24.2 million households were tuned in to the show, with an average of 4.43 viewers each. Jon Cypher later remembered leaving the studio a few minutes after the broadcast had ended and finding the Manhattan streets deserted because so many had stayed in to watch the broadcast.^[1]

A New York Times review by Jack Gould characterized the musical as "a pleasant Cinderella that lacked the magic touch." He wrote that the broadcast received an "extraordinary range of reactions; it was either unreservedly enjoyed, rather angrily rejected or generally approved, subject to significant reservations." He praised Andrews as a "beguiling vision" in "lovely color video." But he complained about the book ("What possessed Mr. Hammerstein to turn the stepsisters into distasteful vaudeville clowns?"); about errors in "the most elementary kind of showmanship;" about costume ("couldn't Cinderella have been dressed in a dreamlike ball gown of fantasy rather than a chic, form-fitting number?"); about the songs ("not top-drawer Rodgers and Hammerstein"); and the staging ("cramped... excellent depth, but limited width marred the ballroom scene"). He judged the songs "reminiscent and derivative of some of their earlier successes" but praised four of them and said "In television, where original music is virtually nonexistent, these add up to quite a treat... some current [Broadway] musicals cannot boast as much melodically."^[18]

The 1965 version was broadcast repeatedly. The 1997 production was the #1 show of the week, with over 60 million viewers. It became the highest-rated TV musical in a generation. Although it was a hit with audiences, it received mixed reviews. Theatre historian John Kenrick called it a "hideous desecration" of the musical.^[19] The New York Times praised the performers (Montalban has "an old-fashioned luxurious voice"; Jason Alexander "provides comic relief"; Goldberg "winningly blends royal dignity with motherly meddling"; Peters "brings vigor and sly comedy") but commented that the musical "was always a pumpkin that never turned into a glittering coach... the songs are lesser Rodgers and Hammerstein... it doesn't take that final leap into pure magic. Often charming and sometimes ordinary, this is a cobbled-together Cinderella for the moment, not the ages."^[20] Other critics, however, praised the presentation. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution wrote: "Grade: A, a version both timely and timeless."^[21] The San Diego Union-Tribune agreed: "this version has much to recommend it."^[22] An encore broadcast on Valentine's Night 1998 drew another 15,000,000 viewers.^[1]

Recordings

The original cast and orchestra made a recording of the music for Columbia Records on March 18, 1957, under the supervision of Goddard Lieberson. The album was released in conjunction with the broadcast less than two weeks later. It was later reissued on CD by Sony.^[1]

The black-and-white kinescope recording of the live color telecast was re-broadcast on PBS in December 2004 as part of its Great Performances series. It was later released on DVD with a documentary including most of its original players, as well as a kinescope of Rodgers and Hammerstein's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show the preceding Sunday, featuring Hammerstein reciting one of the songs to orchestral accompaniment.^[3]

A cast LP album of the 1965 telecast was also issued by Columbia Masterworks Records and on a Sony Masterworks CD. All three of the telecast versions of Cinderella have been released on DVD. An Original International Tour Cast Recording of the Asian tour cast was released in time for their first performance in Manila.

Awards and nominations

1957 Emmy Awards

Actress, Best Single Performance, Lead or Support – Julie Andrews (nomination)

Best Musical Contribution for Television – Richard Rodgers (music score) (nomination)

1997

• Art Directors Guild – Excellence in Production Design Award, Variety or Awards Show, Music Special or Documentary (Winner)

• Emmy Awards

Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program (Winner)

Outstanding Choreography (nomination)

Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program (nomination)

Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program (nomination)

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (nomination)

Outstanding Music Direction (nomination)

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special (nomination)

• Image Awards

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series – Whoopi Goldberg (nomination)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series – Brandy Norwood (nomination)

Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series (nomination)

• Satellite Awards

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Jason Alexander (nomination)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Bernadette Peters (nomination)

• Writers Guild of America Award – Children's Script (nomination)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} "Show History". Cinderella. R&H Theatricals. http://www.rnh.com/show_detail.asp?id=CI. Retrieved 2009-01-29. 
2. ^ CBS Color Studio 72 was in the former RKO (aka Keith's) 81st Street Theatre at 2248 Broadway. It has been demolished, except for its architecturally notable facade and entrance hall, which were preserved as an entrance to a high rise apartment building. See entry at CinemaTreasures.org and New York Times, October 10, 2008
3. ^ ^{a b} Hischak, Thomas. "Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella"". Musical Selections. PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/cinderella/songlist.html. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
4. ^ Review of Cinderella at the Papermill Playhouse describing these additional songs
5. ^ Liza Minelli sings the song on the Tonight Show
6. ^ Listing of cast albums that include the song
7. ^ Shulman, Arthur; Youman, Roger (1966). "Chapter V — They Called Them Spectaculars". How Sweet It Was — Television: A Pictorial Commentary. New York: Bonanza Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc., by arrangement with Shorecrest, Inc.. 
8. ^ York, Steve (1957-03-28). "Mostly Entertainment". The Globe and Mail (Toronto): p. 12. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Richard Rodgers recreates a Cinderella to be remembered", San Mateo Times, February 19, 1966, "TV Week" section, p. 54.
10. ^ Cinderella, 1965 version, at the IMDB database, accessed 8 February 2010
11. ^ A Cinderella Story Featurette: Hosted by Bernadette Peters (Available on the DVD)
12. ^ "Articles & Interviews, "It's Possible: 60 Million Viewers Go To The Ball With Cinderella", Volume 5, Issue 2, Winter, January 1, 1998". rnh.com, accessed February 15, 2011
13. ^ Davis, Peter G. (November 22, 2004). "Sweeps Week". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/classical/reviews/10456/. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
14. ^ St. Petersburg Times, November 30, 2000.
15. ^ "Music Theatre graduate promoting Cinderella role". CQUniNews. CQ University Australia. July 3, 2008. http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=4878. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
16. ^ (Japanese) Hello! Project official announcement.
17. ^ (Japanese) Koma Stadium official website.
18. ^ Gould, Jack. Review of Cinderella, The New York Times, April 7, 1957
19. ^ Television Reviews musicals101.com, accessed August 11, 2009
20. ^ James, Caryn. "The Glass Slipper Fits With a 90's Conscience", The New York Times, October 31, 1997, p. E29
21. ^ Kloer, Phil. "Cinderella combines best of old and new", The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, November 2, 1997, p. 01K
22. ^ Laurence, Robert P. "A girl, a prince, a ball, a slipper: Don't be too demanding, enjoy it", The San Diego Union-Tribune, November 2, 1997, p. TV WEEK-6

External links

• Cinderella (1957) at the Internet Movie Database
• Cinderella (1965) at the Internet Movie Database
• Cinderella (1997) at the Internet Movie Database
• Listing at Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals
• Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, from the PBS Great Performances website
• playbill article, Nov.21, 2004 "The First "Cinderella" Returns
• Curtain Up review, October 2005
• "Cinderella" plot and production information at NODANW, The Guide to Musical Theatre