Hear the name “Cinderella” and it should be enough to suggest you’ll see fairy tale-like fantasies in this musical. While the conventional storyline of Cinderella as a person thinking beyond social status may in itself be a modern fantasy, Cinderella is full of marvelous scenes that will surprise you. Details and props add to the fantasy; such as a pumpkinshaped sculpture. Cinderella’s rags transform into an enchanting white dress (just like in the fairy tale) and the pumpkin, fox and mice really do turn into a carriage, coachmen and horses. One of the best scenes is when the carriage is transformed, which is nicely interwoven with video playing in the background. The greatest surprise from the musical was when the fairy Marie reveals herself—eliciting so much glee from the audience that they clapped and shouted for joy. At that moment, it’s worth observing how diverse in age the audience is and how much the conventional romance plot between Cinderella and the prince is loved by so many.
There are some new characters added, some roles have been changed and Cinderella doesn’t just ride off into the sunset with the prince. An interesting subplot added to the musical is the one where the rebel Jean Michelle and Cinderella’s stepsister, Gabrielle, fall in love. The deviations from the standard story add something unique to the musical—if only they could express the plot more clearly. (What happens between the prince and the corrupt government official, Sebastian for instance? We don’t entirely understand).
The musical Cinderella stirs up some commotion, but maybe we still need a magic wand to change it from “worth watching” to “magical musical.”