Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

The Glass Slippers are back. Just not the way you think.

Perfectly timed for the holiday season and Christmas break, Mirvish brings you Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that will delight both young, and old alike.

This Cinderella does well in part, by taking the understudies from the Broadway production, here placing them in leading roles. Kaitlyn Davidson plays a convincing, strong lead as Cinderella, while her love interest, Andy Huntington Jones plays the role of Prince Topher. Kimberly Fauré is also back as the not-so-wicked stepsister Gabrielle.

The glass slippers are back, but this time, they’re a little more sturdy, and they aren’t falling off by accident. This Cinderella story is based on the book by Douglas Carter Beane, and gone is the down-on-her-luck young girl who must solely rely on her fairy godmother, and a gaggle of mice. Here you have a strong willed young lady who attempts to create her own destiny, while encouraging her prince to live life without blinders, so he too can live up to his dreams. It’s a rather contemporary, political fairy tale, but not so much so that it becomes jarring or goes beyond a young audience’s depth of understanding.

With a creative team that includes several Tony Award nominees and winners, it’s not a wonder that this Cinderella is mesmerising. The costumes by six-time winner William Ivey Long were wonderfully opulent, and to witness Cinderella’s spinning transformation from short country frock to gorgeous evening gown, and back again is mind boggling, and breathtaking. Lighting design by award-winner Kenneth Posner alternated convincingly between bright, cheerful, dark, and mysterious in all the right spots, and scenic design by nominee Anna Louizos, was likewise immersive.

In this Cinderella we have characters who are looking for more than just Prince Charming and the person for whom the shoe fits. We see characters who want to do more, and be more, for social change. It’s a refreshing departure from the Disney saccharine tales of undying (read: unrealistic) love.  

Cinderella shouldn’t be missed, and would make a wonderful gift for any special someone in your life this holiday season. With tickets starting at $34, it’s also an economical way to spend a few delightful hours at the theatre. 

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is on stage now through January 10, 2016. For tickets, please visit: www.Mirvish.com