![]() While the intended message is commendable, the music is largely forgettable, the lyrics are filled with easy uninspired rhymes, and the narrative is incohesive and even contradictory. Unfortunately, many other aspects of the production justify the titular monicker. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. His vocally powerful and emotionally sensitive rendition of “Only You, Lonely You” is the musical highlight of the show. And Jordan Dobson is irresistible as Prince Sebastian, capturing the down-to-earth personality of the underappreciated and overlooked younger brother of the missing Prince Charming, who is the only friend of Bad Cinderella (played by Linedy Genao – the first Latina to originate a lead role in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical), but who, as “the spare” and now heir to the throne, is compelled by his mother to choose a bride at midnight at the ball. The underlying message of the show is the need for acceptance and the importance of being true to yourself, with plotlines that are both gay- and outsider-friendly. ![]() In addition to the quality of the artistic design are sumptuous waltzes performed by the company in ballgowns and tails (choreography by JoAnn M. The exquisite sets are enhanced by Bruno Poet’s dramatic and colorful lighting, as are the moods and themes of the production, including the rainbow hues that illuminate the church’s windows. The lavish sets continue with each changing scene, from the medieval-style townscape with its high pointed rooflines to the dense and hazy green forest, the home Cinderella shares with her wicked Stepmother and stepsisters (with the central period-style fireplace she is required to clean, from which her name is derived), the rooms of the royal palace, including the Queen’s richly furnished Rococo boudoir and the grandiose ballroom where the people of Belleville dance, the Godmother’s shop filled with sparkling crystal accessories and glass slippers, and the interior of the church in which the Prince’s wedding takes place, with its rose window flanked by Gothic arches, all carved with intricate tracery. ![]() Upon entering the theater, Gabriela Tylesova’s dazzling scenic design, with a proscenium arch of gilded curvilinear foliage, a motif that continues onto the stage curtain, transports the audience into a beautiful fairytale world. Set in the “exceptionally beautiful kingdom of Belleville” (French for “beautiful city”), Bad Cinderella – the updated reimagined take by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music), Emerald Fennell (book), and David Zippel (lyrics) on the popular folk tale dating back to antiquity, included in the collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales published in 1812, and adapted for a TV musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1957, based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 French version of the story – has transferred from London’s West End (where its pandemic-delayed run played under the original title Cinderella) to Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, with an adaptation of Fennell’s book by Alexis Scheer, for a limited engagement now scheduled through June 4.
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