On Broadway: An Empowered Cinderella!

By Nancy Monson

Broadway is offering a modern-day version of the classic Cinderella this season, with lessons in self-empowerment (for girls and boys), authenticity, kindness, forgiveness and civic duty that make it more than just an old-fashioned fairy tale. Laura Osnes makes a luminous Cinderella, a force for good in a world full of ridicule and meanness, and Santino Fontana is charming and down-to-earth as her prince, a man fumbling towards adulthood, love and responsibility. (Actually, the re-envisioned character reminded me of another prince—Pippin. That’s a wonderful show with similar life lessons, but the sexual content makes it inappropriate for children under 10.)

Surprisingly, this is the first time Cinderella has been staged on Broadway. It was originally created for television, first starring Julie Andrews in 1957 and then Lesley Ann Warren in 1965 (probably the best-known version since it was often re-aired over the years). A third TV version was staged in 1997 starring Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother. The big change from these classic editions of the show is that Cinderella is no longer just a victim—she ends up rescuing the prince and helps him become a better man and a better leader just as much as he helps her overcome her humble beginnings.

Although the first act is a bit flat, the second act more than makes up for it with a rousing chase of a dissembling Cinderella and her footmen through the forest and the hilarious “Stepsister’s Lament.” For parents and grandparents, the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs are the draw, from the romantic “Ten Minutes Ago” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” to the magical new song “There’s Music in You.” There’s also some lovely ballroom dancing and a finale that rivals a number from the lavish Ziegfeld follies of old!

If you’re looking for a fun show to take your children to that will provoke thoughtful discussions about modern-day life, look no further than Cinderella. Discount tickets are available through Theatermania.com and Broadway.com, and often at the TKTS booth in Times Square on the day of the show.

Disclosure: Reviewer Nancy Monson received complimentary tickets to Cinderella.