Playwright: Douglas Carter Beane; Score: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. At: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. Tickets: 800-775-2000 or www.broadwayinchicago.com; $22-$115. Runs through Jan. 4
You wouldn't think that a classic beauty like Cinderella would need drastic plastic surgery. But apparently producers thought that was necessary for the 2013 Broadway debut of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, which is now on tour at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre.
First of all, it's fairly dubious to so prominently attach the names of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II to the title of this production. Sure, the songs are all by the legendary duo responsible for milestone musicals like Oklahoma!, Carousel and South Pacific. But Rodgers and Hammerstein originally conceived their Cinderella in 1957 as a live CBS-TV musical starring Julie Andrews—not as a stage show.
In fact, most people know Cinderella via its two TV remakes first starring Lesley Ann Warren in 1965 and then Brandy in 1997. A stage version of Cinderella was made available, but only for tours or regional productions.
But for Broadway, Hammerstein's original slight script was tossed in favor of a beefed-up new one by out playwright Douglas Carter Beane ( The Little Dog Laughed, Xanadu ). Beane made many drastic changes, including killing off the parents of Prince Topher ( Andy Jones ); creating a romantic subplot for the nicer stepsister, Gabrielle ( Ashley Park ); and even allowing Cinderella ( Paige Faure ) to help convince the Prince to allow democratic elections in the kingdom.
Beane's characters also speak just like they've stepped out of a modern-day sitcom. For instance, the other stepsister, Charlotte ( Aymee Garcia ), actually exclaims, "Seriously?!" when she's slighted at the ball, while the stepmother known as Madame ( Beth Glover ) behaves just like one of Bravo TV's Real Housewives.
So it becomes jarring to have such emotionally earnest 1950s numbers like "In my Own Little Corner" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" being nipped, tucked and augmented by a distinctively 21st-century script. Director Mark Brokaw doesn't navigate this stylistic mishmash very well, so the show comes off as being desperate to appear youthful and hip.
But if all you're looking for is a diverting family-friendly musical with lots of well-sung performances and colorful costumes, this Cinderella should fit the bill. Costume designer William Ivey Long wows the most with his ingenious way of glamorously transforming both Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother ( Kecia Lewis ) right before the audience's eyes. And on opening night, there was a literal transformation since understudy Audrey Cardwell capably took over as Cinderella mid-performance when Faure took ill.
Sometimes creating a new script to pre-existing songs can be great, like with the "new" Gershwin show Crazy for You from 1992. But if the new text fails to compliment the classic music like with Rodgers + Hammerstein Cinderella, it just comes off as bad plastic surgery.
