Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Original)

AN R&H THEATRICALS TITLE

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Original)

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  6w, 5m plus ensemble

Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

The timeless enchantment of the magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance.

Image: 1957 Television Broadcast Production (Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization)

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Original)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 5m plus ensemble
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Fantasy, Adaptation (Literature), Christmas/Holiday, Fable/Folktale, Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: Three 1958 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Best Musical Contribution for Television

Details

Summary

Four versions of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella are available for licensing. To compare and contrast the four versions, click here.

The timeless enchantment of a magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance. Originally presented on television in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the most widely viewed program in the history of the medium. Its recreation in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren was no less successful in transporting a new generation to the miraculous kingdom of dreams-come-true, and so was a second remake in 1997, which starred Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother.

History

In 1956 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were indisputably the world’s most successful writers of musicals. Julie Andrews was a sparkling new star, having just triumphed in My Fair Lady. When her agent approached Rodgers & Hammerstein and suggested that the television audience would welcome a musical version of "Cinderella," it was an irresistible temptation for all.

Everything about the project was right from the start. The CBS production team was quickly assembled. Richard Lewine, a distant cousin of Rodgers and a close friend, was the producer, Ralph Nelson the director. Howard Lindsay and his wife, Dorothy Stickney, were signed for the King and Queen; Jon Cypher played the Prince; the Stepmother and Stepsisters were made less frightening and more comic by Ilka Chase, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley; rather than the standard old crone, the beautiful Edie Adams played the Godmother.

Rodgers & Hammerstein approached the story with the honesty and simplicity that characterized all their work. They purposely did not seek to improve a story they felt was dramatically sound, as many writers are prone to do, instead concentrating on bringing the characters to life. Rodgers wrote in his autobiography Musical Stages, “In writing the story and the songs, Oscar and I felt that it was important to keep everything as traditional as possible, without any ‘modernizing’ or reaching for psychological significance.” When Hammerstein was asked where he found the version of Cinderella story he based his adaptation upon, he answered, “I looked it up in the encyclopedia.”

The marriage of music, lyrics and story in Cinderella exemplified their artistic philosophy; all elements held together integrally to illuminate the characters. As Rodgers explained, “Although a few of its songs have become popular, our score for Cinderella is another example of what theatre music is really about. No matter what the medium, a score is more than a collection of individual songs. It is, or should be, a cohesive entity whose word and music are believable expressions of the characters singing them...Like a symphony, concerto or opera, some portions have greater appeal than others, but it is the work as a whole that makes the overall impression.”

Cinderella succeeded. When it was broadcast on March 31, 1957, it was viewed by more people than any other program in the history of television.

  • Time Period 16th Century/Elizabethan, 17th Century, 15th Century
  • Setting

    Long ago in a kingdom far away.

  • Features Fantasy Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“The most triumphant night of Broadway's golden age!” – Noel Murray, The AV Club

“A major new musical...produced with characteristic skill, dexterity and lilt. The whole was a love story of often enormous charm...Rodgers & Hammerstein have not lost their knack for the lyrics and beat that are easy to remember.” – Jack Gould, The New York Times

“It would take a jaded eye to miss the magic and a deaf ear not to appreciate Richard Rodgers' lilting, lovely tunes and Oscar Hammerstein's simple and poetic lyrics.” – Joan Crosby, The Pittsburgh Press

“A class production all the way, Cinderella is a straight telling of the fairy tale with several catchy songs...Writer/lyricist Hammerstein gives the characters personality but doesn't spoof the story or send anything up, which is a refreshing change from today's anything-for-a-laugh comedy writing.” – Glenn Erickson, DVD Talk

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Cinderella Through the Years
by Ted Chapin
July 22, 2020

Videos

  • “In My Own Little Corner” – Rodgers __and__ Hammerstein's Cinderella 1956 youtube thumbnail

    “In My Own Little Corner” – Rodgers __and__ Hammerstein's Cinderella 1956

  • "Impossible" – Rodgers __and__ Hammerstein's Cinderella 1965 youtube thumbnail

    "Impossible" – Rodgers __and__ Hammerstein's Cinderella 1965

  • Rodgers __and__ Hammerstein's Cinderella – Through Time and History youtube thumbnail

    Rodgers __and__ Hammerstein's Cinderella – Through Time and History

  • The Musicology of "Ten Minutes Ago" youtube thumbnail

    The Musicology of "Ten Minutes Ago"

Music

Music Samples

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Easy
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size X-Large
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!

Authors

Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers' contribution to the musical theatre of his day was extraordinary, and his influence on the musical theatre of today and tomorrow is legendary. His career spanned more than six decades, his hits ranging from the silver screens of Hollywood to the bright light ...

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Oscar Hammerstein II

Oscar Hammerstein II

Oscar Hammerstein II was born on July 12, 1895 in New York City. His father, William, was a theatre manager and for many years director of Hammerstein's Victoria, the most popular vaudeville theatre of its day. His uncle, Arthur Hammerstein, was a successful Broadway producer ...

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