State Theatre New Jersey Presents Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA

State Theatre New Jersey presents Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella on Friday, February 9, 2018 at 7:30pm and Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 2pm and 7:30pm. The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is packed with magic, romance, and glass slippers, in addition to the Rodgers & Hammerstein's original songs like "Impossible/It's Possible," "In My Own Corner," "Ten Minutes Ago," and more. Tickets range from $35-$98.

Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is different from the well-known Walt Disney film version and even a little different from the story created over 60 years ago. In 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein developed the score for television film Cinderella, which aired on CBS and featured a young Julie Andrews. This stage production, however, takes a different view on the story; the playwright Douglas Carter Beane, who wrote productions like The Little Dog Laughed and Xanadu, decided to bring back some of the feel from the original story. He wanted to make the prince more of a human with character instead of a vague figure, have the two meet several times, and even have one of the step sisters not be all that mean.

When Beane was creating the new script, he decided the tone was key. "It was all about tone," Beane says. "I knew that an audience coming to see the show had to have a good time. And, they have seen so much; they have seen Wicked, they have seen Shrek, they have seen Fractured Fairy Tales. All these things have happened since this television version." Beane says he knew "I had to have a little snark to it and I took inspiration from Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics."

Since the songs for the original production were only meant for a 90 minute TV musical, Beane had to turn back to The Complete Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein and reconstruct some songs and even cut and paste lyrics to create entirely new scores.

The cast includes Tatyana Lubov at Ella, Louis Griffin as Topher, Leslie Jackson as Marie, Sarah Smith as Madame, Vincent B. Davis as Lord Pinkleton, Joanna Johnson as Charlotte, Christopher Swan as Sebastian, Nicole Zelka as Gabrielle, and Corbin Williams as Jean-Michel.

Completing the cast is Gabriel Amato, Kelly Barberito, John Barsoian, Antonio Beverly, Elizabeth Brady, Nick Burrage, Tyler Eisenreich, Eric Geibel, Kaitlyn Mayse, Erica Messonnier, Victoria Newhuis, Justine Rappaport, Grant Richards, Sean Ryan, Zoe Schneider-Smith, Isabella Ward, Erin Weinberger, and Melissa Yanchak.

For tickets or more information, call State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at STNJ.org. State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm; Saturday from 1pm to 5pm; and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates unless otherwise specified. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536. Some additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.

State Theatre New Jersey-creating extraordinary experiences through the power of live performance. The theater exists to enrich people's lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. State Theatre New Jersey's programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. The Heldrich is the official hotel of State Theatre New Jersey. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of State Theatre New Jersey. United is the official airline of State Theatre New Jersey.

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