I'm most disappointed to read about the barren set design. Same thing with Annie. These are huge shows in huge theatres. When both shows were announced I was excited to see what these top notch designers would do with design. Both Korins and Louizos produced some pretty bare bones designs it sounds like which is saddening considering everything you can do with these shows... The scenic designer in me is pretty sad.
"I honestly can't imagine anyone truly enjoying this show except for extremist liberals and people who do not know or care about the original story of Cinderella."
My lord, Belle9. Have we come to such a point where a belief in social justice makes one an "extreme liberal"? I believe that this may be the crux of why you did not care for the show.
In Belle's defense, I joined Yelp to give an amazing review at a restaurant near my work. I've also read reviews where people have joined to give nasty reviews. Belle isn't the first one to do this.
The show specifically calls Jean Michele a liberal. His goal is to cause violence against the palace, which at first is glorified. Eventually things die down a bit. My point in that statement is that the level of political tension in this show is not enjoyable, no matter what side of the fence you are on. Nobody goes into a fairy tale expecting it to be about politics. It's not just about social justice. There are a lot of specific political issues that are displayed in this show that are about much more than that. You can read some of the reviews on the show's facebook page to get more of a taste of why this comes across badly.
I didn't. It's not that it really matters considering there are quite a number of people who wrote similar reviews. I find it strange that I can't post an honest review on this board without everyone being suspicious.
Belle9, I'm not questioning your motives and do appreciate your clarification re your perspective. I totally agree with your point about the show not meeting audiences' expectations and posted on that above (5:59pm tonight).
Belle, add me to the list of folks who think it's great you chimed in. There's got to be a first post for a chatterer and this was yours. Personally, I'm more excited to see the show knowing it doesn't ape what I've already seen, but I understand how that will disappoint others.
I appreciate Belle's review. I was hoping to see something resembling the R&H show I saw in its three TV incarnations but it sounds like the fairy tale has been turned into a social commentary. Liberal or conservative, that isn't really consistent with the nature of fairy tales which are generally about individual happiness and goodness and not the inequities of the world at large.
Okay, just to set it straight once more. They take out the whole "slipper hunt"? How in the world is that a good idea? Isn't that the biggest plot point of the classic Cinderella story? That is like making Dorothy not even have the Slippers in "The Wizard of Oz." Which I know the MUNY production pretty much did that to OZ but look what a mess that show is.
Thank you wonkit. It really isn't about being liberal or conservative. The point is the political messages just don't fit into the story. It wasn't done subtly either. Even my friend, who doesn't follow politics at all, was shocked at the content.
The slipper hunt takes place at the very end, after the banquet. However it makes much less sense considering the prince and Cinderella have already spent so much time together at that point. Plus the fact that she literally handed him her shoe was very strange. If she wanted him to find out who she was, why not just tell him?
It's funny Cinderella handing the prince her shoe was brought up. I assumed it was a costume malfunction and the shoe was supposed to stick to the steps, but didn't, so Laura had to run back and hand him the shoe! I didn't actually think that was planned, but if it was, ha.
The prince does recognize Cinderella in her rags before he puts the shoe on her. He only does that to prove to the rest of the kingdom that she is indeed the girl from the ball. (The whole kingdom is present for this as they are holding the elections at the palace.)
Thanks for all the great reviews! Honestly, Cinderella is my favorite fairy tale, and I have seen so many versions of it that I never expect to see an exact replica of the story book. I always expect some kind of twist, so this new plot kind of intrigues me honestly. Also, Cinderella stories have always been political and a social commentary on class and social injustice. Ella Enchanted, Ever After, The Slipper and the Rose, and even the book, Just Ella, had some kind of political and social statement in them. Therefore, I'm not surprised. Lately, various versions have Cinderella "rescuing" the prince by teaching him about the world outside the palace. Some versions (Ever After, The Slipper and the Rose) has the prince enter a political alliance through an arranged marriage, but that is threatened when he decides to hold a ball and fall in love instead.
I guess Cinderella hands the prince her slipper because in her mind, if he is really in love with her, then he will search for her.
Oh, and in the Perrault story, there are two balls. In the Grimm version, there are three, which is why there's a banquet in this new retelling.
As for the new songs, what are they like? What's going on in the scene that they are sung in? Someone asked earlier which shows they were scrapped from:
Me, Who Am I? - Me and Juliet Now Is the Time- South Pacific I Have Loved and I've Learned - The Sound of Music Loneliness of Evening - South Pacific I Haven't Got a Worry in the World - Happy Birthday (a play) There's Music in You - Main Street to Broadway
This might be a weird question, but did they mention how long it had been since Ella's father had died? Also, was there a good reason as to why Madame and Charlotte hated Ella, or were they just evil to be evil?
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Posted: 1/29/13 at 08:14pm