CINDERELLA 20/20 Reunion Special Airs Tomorrow on ABC

ABC News Studios will air "Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20" tomorrow, August 23 beginning at 8:00 PM EDT on ABC.

The 25th anniversary celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella will feature members of its all-star cast - Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg, Paolo Montalban, Victor Garber, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander and Veanne Cox. Following the news special, "The Wonderful World of Disney" will air Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella for the first time on broadcast television in more than two decades.

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the groundbreaking film by joining the official live watch party, co-hosted by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and author Kendra James, a founding editor of Shondaland.com who published an oral history of 1997 version of Cinderella in 2017.

Throughout the broadcast, viewers are encouraged to follow along on Twitter for trivia and fun facts, and use #Cinderella1997 to join the conversation. They can RSVP to join the official watch party HERE.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella stars Brandy in the title role and Whitney Houston as Fairy Godmother alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban, Jason Alexander and Veanne Cox. Originally premiering on November 2, 1997, to 60 million viewers on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderellabecame an instant fan favorite, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and earning seven Emmy® Award nominations.

Celebrated for its diverse representation, sweeping musical acts and unforgettable songbook, the 1997 film features an incredible array of beloved and original songs by the iconic songwriting duo Rodgers & Hammerstein, including "Impossible," "In My Own Little Corner," "Ten Minutes Ago," "A Lovely Night," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" and more. The televised movie musical debuted on Disney+ in February 2021.

After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (Composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Librettist/Lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American Musical Theatre.

Prior to joining forces, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on musical comedies that epitomized wit and sophistication (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Babes In Arms, and more), while Hammerstein brought new life to operetta and created the classic Show Boat with Jerome Kern.

Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, introduced an integrated form that became known as "the musical play." Their shows that followed included Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals have earned Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer, and Olivier Awards.

Kendra James is an executive producer at Crooked Media and was a founding editor at Shondaland.com where she wrote an oral history of Cinderella for its 20th anniversary. She has been heard and seen on NPR and podcasts including "Bitch Sesh," "Lovett or Leave it," "Yo! Is This Racist?," "This is Love," "Star Trek: The Pod Directive" and more. Her writing has been published widely from Elle, Marie Claire, Town and Country, Women's Health Magazine, Lenny, The Verge, Harpers, Catapult and The Toast, among others.

Photo courtesy of DKC/O&M