Article from NY POST
http://www.nypostonline.com/theatre/therev050501.htm
Thanks to Noel for this information!
CAST MAKES
'CINDERELLA' CHARMING
By CLIVE BARNES
May 5, 2001 --
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA
Theater at Madison Square Garden. (212) 307-4111.
WHEN is a Broadway musical not a Broadway
musical?When it is "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella,"
which surfaced again Thursday night for a two-week run at
the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
And, yes, the gal with the footloose footwear is Jamie-Lynn
Sigler, better known around New Jersey and HBO as Tony
Soprano's bright but wayward daughter. And she can sing!
But first of all, this "Cinderella." What is it?
Of all the many collaborations between Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein II, "Cinderella" is the only one never
planned for the stage. In the summer of 1956, CBS
Television invited these Broadway giants to write a
90-minute musical especially for live TV.
What made the offer irresistible to R&H was that it was
slated to star Julie Andrews - after "My Fair Lady"
Broadway's newly anointed Queen - and thus "Cinderella"
was born.
On March 31, 1957, it was seen by more than 107 million
viewers, reaching an audience dwarfing that of all of R&H's
stage ventures from "Oklahoma!" on. Not unexpectedly
there were two later TV versions in 1964 and 1997.
But how about the stage? Now, there was a temptation. The
first attempt was a bastardized version in 1958 in London -
where, of course, the telecast had never been seen - and in
1993 it turned up, oddly, at Lincoln Center under the
auspices of New York City Opera.
Neither version worked wonderfully well. Yet the score's a
quiet charmer - just listen to the original CBS cast recording
with La Andrews, freshly available on CD.
The new adaptation is by Tony Briggs, with musical
arrangements and supervision by Andrew Lippa (the
composer of the good "Wild Party" at Manhattan Theatre
Club) and the whole new shebang has been staged by
Gabriel Barre.
The production, which is rather more spartanly
bus-and-truck than opulent Broadway, has been placed
somewhere between ancient China and 19th century
Ruritania, and at times looks a mixture of scrimp, save and
stock.
Yet the score soars. Interestingly, this the only time Rodgers
and Hammerstein, obviously inspired by Andrews, show a
strong influence of Lerner and Loewe's then recent megahit,
"My Fair Lady." And supplemented by that lovely song "The
Sweetest Sounds," from Rodgers' later "No Strings," it's
gossamer and magic.
While the production values may be sparse, the cast is
excellent. Jamie-Lynn Sigler vocally may not be the next
Julie Andrews, but she's beautiful and charming, while Paolo
Montalban (in answer to yet another question - he's no
relation!) makes a stalwart, strong-voiced Prince.
Yet the real strength of the production lies in the comic
roles. Eartha Kitt (with the most distinctive voice in the
world) does wonders as the Fairy Godmother who believes
in self-reliance, and Everett Quinton (with the second most
distinctive voice in the world) is beautifully bitchy as the
wicked Stepmother.
Other nice turns are provided by Victor Trent Cook as the
Chamberlain and Ken Prymus and Leslie Becker as the
King and Queen.
It's now a good show for kids - better, say, that either
"Seussical" or "Tom Sawyer" - yet what is fascinating is that
with some quite considerable primping and tweaking, to say
nothing of 10 million bucks, I still think that one day Rodgers
and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" could make it to Broadway.