Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we continue our Return To The Theater as we look at the 1997 TV adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Now, this is admittedly, a bit of a stretch as Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was originally developed for TV back in the '50s as a live musical with Julie Andrews in the lead role and it was staged for TV, once again in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella and Pat Carroll as one of the Stepsisters.
Now, I am making an exception in reviewing this as there have been stage productions such as in London and in 61, it made it's way to the states as a stage production. And back in 2013, Cinderella made it's way to Broadway.
And well, the other reason is that it's from Rodgers and Hammerstein. Two of the biggest names that brought us some of the best musicals ever. such as The Sound of Music and South Pacific. Now, this adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was developed for the revival of The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC and with some help from Whitney Houston. Who was originally going to play Cinderella but as time went on with the production, she conceded that she was too old to play Cinderella and instead handpicked Brandy for the role. And Brandy requested that Whitney Houston stay on and play the Fairy Godmother. They are just two of a great all-star cast in the movie. So, with that out of the way let's begin.
The Plot
Honestly, if you've seen any version of Cinderella, you know all of the beats that the story will hit. Cinderella lives with her wicked stepfamily that doesn't love her. There is a ball and Cinderella meets the Prince there after she gets some help from Fairy Godmother but there are some key differences such as Cinderella and the Prince, Christopher as he is named here meet in the beginning of the movie before the ball takes place and I actually like that as it gives the Prince more character. And the Prince wants to find love on his own terms but his mother, (yes his mother is alive in this version) throws the ball for the Prince to fall in love and meet the girl of his dreams.
As I said, if you've seen one version of Cinderella, you'll know where the story is going fairly well but the thing that really makes this version stand out and work for me are the actors as they truly give their all in this production and the musical numbers as they are so good. This is a case, where the story isn't so much the strong suit of the movie but rather, the characters and the music are what make this movie so enjoyable to watch. Of course, I may be biased as I have always loved the story of Cinderella.
Characters
Now, one thing that I want to bring up that I absolutely adore about this production is it's color blind casting, which I feel helps it stand out all the more. Consider this, the King and Queen are played by Victor Garber and Whoopi Goldberg respectively while their son, Christopher is played by an Filipino-American actor.
Main Characters
Cinderella played by Brandy
Brandy is quite wonderful and sweet in the role of Cinderella. This version of Cinderella doesn't demand much of the actress in the role other than to fill the role and play her well and Brandy does that wonderfully as you can truly feel the pain and suffering that she goes through at the hands of her step-family. I think one of the biggest things that makes this work here is that Brandy fits this version of Cinderella perfectly and you are able to root for her.
Prince Christopher played by Paolo Montalban
As I have stated in previous articles discussing the Disney animated version of Cinderella and the 2015 remake of said movie, I am not the biggest fan of Prince Charming in the original Disney movie. However, just as I had praise for how the Prince was handled in the 2015 remake, the same is true here as well as he feels like his own character. Starting with an adorable meet cute that has a callback at the end of the film and has a small sense of urgency as you see that he wants to find love on his own terms and not hold balls upon balls to find the girl of his dreams. It admittedly isn't much but what works here is that Christopher is so likable and has cham to spare. It is clear that he truly cares for the people of his kingdom and wants to be a good ruler.
Fairy Godmother played by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston stole the show every time, she was onscreen. Seriously, she brought her A++ game to the movie as the Fairy Godmother and was easily the best part of the movie and is perhaps, one of my favorite takes on Cinderella's Fairy Godmother as she plays her less like a sweet old lady, who acts grandmotherly to Cinderella but rather, acts as the mother that Cinderella never had and gives Cinderella the push that she needs to find her dream and be free from the nightmare that she is living.
You can truly feel that the Fairy Godmother cares for Cinderella and cares for as a daughter and wants to see Cinderella find a better life and will give her the tools to find her dream but she won't do it for Cinderella. And I think that is what makes Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother work so well.
Lionel played by Jason Alexander
Lionel is the butler for the King and Queen and I really enjoyed his performance as he was truly a highlight as he was just so energetic and fun in the role of Lionel that you can't help but smile every time, he is onscreen.
King Maximilian & Queen Constantina played by Victor Garber & Whoopi Goldberg
While these two admittedly do not have a whole lot to do in the movie, they are great together and you can tell how much they care for one another. And as a fan of the Arrowverse, it's fun to see Victor Garber in something from before he played Professor Stein. And I think that is something that a lot of fans of the Arrowverse may not know about Victor Garber, he got his start in theater. For example, he played Jesus in Godspell. But here, it is more of a minor part but it is a treat to see him and Whoopi Goldberg as the Queen, I adored her in this role as you could tell that she was having the time of her life. She meant well in wanting to find the love for her son by throwing the ball that she announces, even if she does go behind her son's back to throw it but it is clear that she only has the best of intentions for Christopher.
Music
Prologue
This is a great little number to start off with as after all, it starts with a taste of my favorite song in the movie.
The Sweetest Sounds
Something that is fascinating to note is that three songs in this take on Cinderella were borrowed from other musicals such as The Sweetest Sounds, which was originally featured in the opening and closing of the show, No Strings. For most of the songs that were borrowed, I cannot speak to how they have been rearranged to fit this new story and want to look at how they work in this film. And with that in mind, I love this number as it is very sweet and just from the beginning, you can already tell that there's chemistry between Cinderella and Christopher. This is such an enjoyable number as it is just so sweet and lovely to listen to.
The Prince Is Giving A Ball
This song apparently combines two songs from the original production, The Prince Is Giving A Ball and Your Majesties. And you can hear that as at times, this does sound like two different songs but they never clash against one another but perfectly flow together to form a whole. And that makes this an enjoyable listen as this song is just so high paced and high energy that you can't help but get swept up in the numbers going on. Jason Alexander puts his all into this number that makes it all the more enjoyable as he is giving 110 percent in this number.
In My Own Little Corner
This is meant to be Cinderella's big number that is meant to help the audience to get to know her better. And well, I'm torn on this song, Brandy's performance is top-notch with this number as she gives it her a lot to do but... this song drags on and on. And as much as I like Brandy's performance here, I feel that she gets lost in the number as it goes on.
Falling in Love With Love
We come to another song that was added from another show as we have Falling In Love With Love, that was originally a part of The Boys From Syracuse. This number here is great as Bernadette Peters gives it her all and you can feel the bitterness in her as she sings. It seems as though that she was a woman scorned as she fell in love with love and that made her the vile woman that she is today.
In My Own Little Corner (Reprise)
Gotta admit that I like the reprise of In My Own Little Corner better as it lets Cinderella's true emotions come out that she had kept locked up and they are finally bubbling to the surface and that makes you care for Cinderella, all the more.
Impossible/It's Possible
This is easily my favorite song in the whole movie as Whitney Houston and Brandy just work so well together. And I love how this song starts with the Fairy Godmother saying everything that she is about to do is Impossible as it comes across like her showing Cinderella that you need to look beyond what you see and learn that well,,, the impossible can happen. And Cinderella comes to embrace that message as we hear on the way to the ball.
Ten Minutes Ago
I'll freely admit that Ten Minutes Ago isn't my favorite number in the film. It's not bad and very sweet as you hear Christopher falling for Cinderella but I feel as though, he has a better love song coming up. I'll admit that I could be missing something with this number. As it's good but I dunno, I like Cinderella's part in this number more than Christopher's. Again, it's not bad but this is one that I feel like I could take or leave.
Stepsister's Lament
This is my second favorite number in the film as it is just so funny. The humor in this song speaks for itself as you hear the jealousy in the Stepsister's voices as they sing. And you can just hear the seething jealousy in them as they sing and that is what makes this song so great.
Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?
Now, this is my preferred love song between Christopher and Cinderella as it is just so sweet and you can actually get caught up in the moment of the song as they sing out their feelings to one another. It is such a beautiful moment that I can't help but awwing at.
A Lovely Night
Another great number as Cinderella gets some nice subtle moments of rubbing it in her step-family's face but of course, the mood is killed by Cinderella's stepmother but even just for one moment, you have a wonderful moment with Cinderella and it is such a great moment.
Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? (Reprise)
Man, Whoopis should get to sing some more as this number just proves how wonderful she is as a singer. This reprise with Whoopi's singing to Christopher is so heartfelt that you can't help but get caught up and understand how much the Queen truly cares for her son as she is finally willing to put her feelings aside and let son find love, the way that he wants to.
There's Music In You
We once again have another song that was taken from another musical as this was taken from the film, Main Street To Broadway and well, Whitney sings the heck out of it but I think a reprise of Impossible would have worked better as the ending song here as Impossible really set up the theme for Cinderella and how she accomplished her goals and to back to that and possibly do another version of It's Possible would have worked as a better ending number than this song, that while not bad feels tacked on.
Villains
Minerva & Calliope played by Natalie Desselle-Reed & Veanne Cox
These two were meant just be the bumbling foils to their mother and they were great but it did seem at times as though, there were little moments where they almost showed kindness but that was quickly brushed aside whenever their mother came along.
Cinderella's Stepmother played by Bernadette Peters
I've read that some people felt that Bernadette Peters was miscast as Cinderella's Stepmother. I don't buy that as I think she made the role her own. She isn't as memorable as say Lady Tremaine but for the material that she is given to work with, she turns in a fine performance and you can see all the little ways that she tries to kill Cinderella's dreams. She is a bit more passive in that regard but I think that it still works.
My Final Thoughts
I was upfront with my bias from the beginning as I mentioned that I've always loved the story of Cinderella and that is perhaps why got more enjoyment out of this than others might. As I said at the beginning of this review, this isn't a story based movie as the story takes a backseat to the stunning cast and the beautiful numbers as those are what truly carry this movie and make it so enjoyable. If you like me, enjoy the story of Cinderella, check this out. Join me next time as we continue our Return To The Theater as I look at the 1999 take on...
Annie
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