Cinderella will make its debut at the Fox Theatre next week, complete with a pumpkin carriage, fairy godmother and, of course, glass slippers.
But “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” featuring music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and based on a new book by Douglas Carter Beane, will present a new take on the classic fairy tale about a young woman who is transformed from a chambermaid into a princess.
Cinderella is the only musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for TV, debuting in 1957 starring Julie Andrews. In 2013, the show made its Broadway debut. The show will be at the Fox Tuesday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 8. (Tickets start at $33. www.FoxTheatre.org/Cinderella, call 1-855-285-8499)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently interviewed Beane by phone to discuss the changes he made while also staying true to fairy tale origins.
Q: Talk about the changes you made to Cinderella.
A: I don’t think I would have done the project at all if I hadn’t become the father of a daughter. I think that changes your outlook. … “Cinderella,” you certainly go, “that’s a very odd story to be telling little girls.” You know, keep suffering and someone wonderful will come along and change everything. You will meet someone cute under false pretenses and he will fall in love with you. And on the first meeting, which seems a little psychotic. So I was very leery about my daughter getting that story. I went back to the French version by Charles Perrault, and I was so taken by it because it seemed like a real “girl power” kind of story. It was about a girl who changes everyone around her by being positive and upbeat. And she had a stepsister who was a friend. And she met the prince not just once, but a couple of times. So it was things like that that made me think it is a cool story.
About the Author
