Video: Director Melissa Rain Anderson on CINDERELLA at Syracuse Stage

Go inside Syracuse Stage's production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella with director Melissa Rain.

Co-produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama, the production is currently running through January 5, 2025.

"With this version of Cinderella, the designers and the creative team and I really leaned into the contemporary lens and what it means for a true hero today to go out and find what is possible for herself and for the world around her, making it more accessible to a modern audience," Rain explains in the video.

Returning to Syracuse Stage after appearing in last season's “A Christmas Carol,” department of drama junior Madison Manning plays the title role in this fantastical and dazzling storybook come-to-life.

The cast also features Trisha Jeffrey as Fairy Godmother, Darell Morris Jr. as Prince Christopher, Ann Arvia as Stepmother, David Lowenstein (“A Christmas Carol,” “Disney's The Little Mermaid”) as King Maximillian, Celia Madeoy (“Disney's Beauty and the Beast,” “Elf the Musical”) as Queen Constantina, Blake Segal (“Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express,” “Our Town”) as Lionel, and department of drama seniors Sydney Carmona, Adeera Harris and Zach Asnis as Joy, Grace and Charles the Cat.

The design team for “Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella” features many names familiar to Syracuse Stage audiences, including sets by Kimberly Powers (“A Christmas Carol,” “Disney's The Little Mermaid”), costumes by Ryan J. Moller (“Matilda The Musical”),  wigs by Bobbie Zlotnik (“Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express,” “Tender Rain”), lighting by Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz (“A Christmas Carol,” “Disney's The Little Mermaid”), sound by Syracuse Stage resident sound designer Jacqueline R Herter and projections by David Murakami.

All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30 with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at SyracuseStage.org, by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the Syracuse Stage Box Office. 

Originally premiering as a live television program in 1957 with Julie Andrews in the title role, “Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella” is a magical celebration that proves dreams come true, if only we dare to wish.

This “enchanted” version of the beloved musical is based on the 1997 television film, featuring Brandy as the would-be princess and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother, and boasts a cast of 30 spectacular performers made up of Broadway veterans, professional actors from around the country and students from the Syracuse University Department of Drama.

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