I love musical theater but wasn’t thrilled about seeing this one as I assumed it was more for children than adults. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the musical comedy more than I expected, the comedy part being the major surprise. The program listed it as a Rodgers and Hammerstein work but I had no recollection of it being a stage musical or movie. The opening number “The Sweetest Sounds” also mystified me as I remembered it being in a musical by Richard Rodgers (No Strings) that was his first after the death of Oscar Hammerstein. Doing a little research later that night, I discovered that most of the music was from a Rodgers and Hammerstein made-for-tv production from 1957. There was a later TV production in 1965 and another in 1997, in which “The Sweetest Sounds” was added.
Cinderella and the Prince did a fine job (Cinderella has a lovely voice) but most of the entertainment was provided by the wicked stepsisters and stepmother. They were more mean and slapstick than wicked and had the funniest parts in the production, both verbally and physically. Staging was creative and well-done. The singing was better than the dancing but all-in-all it was a lively, entertaining show, and not for children only.
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