Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Enchanted Edition)

<p>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</em> 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. As adapted for the stage with great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity this romantic fairy tale still warms the hearts of children and adults alike. This Enchanted Edition is inspired by the 1997 teleplay.</p><p><br></p><p>Rodgers and Hammerstein's <em>Cinderella</em> premiered in a live television broadcast on March 31 1957 starring Julie Andrews a sparkling new star who had just triumphed in <em>My Fair Lady</em>. Richard Lewine a distant cousin and close friend of Rodgers produced and Ralph Nelson directed. Real-life spouses Howard Lindsay and Dorothy Stickney played the King and Queen; Jon Cypher played the Prince; Ilka Chase Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley played the comical Stepmother and Stepsisters; and Edi Adams played the Fairy Godmother.</p><p><br></p><p>Rodgers and Hammerstein approached the story with the honesty and simplicity that characterized all their work and <em>Cinderella</em> was a smash hit. The live broadcast was viewed by more people than any other program in the history of television.</p><p><br></p><p>In 1997 <em>Cinderella</em> was remade for television in a production adapted by Robert L. Freedman and directed by Robert Iscove with choreography by Rob Marshall. Produced by Whitney Houston and Debra Martin Chase for Walt Disney Television <em>Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella</em> aired on November 2 1997. This version featured a diverse cast with Brandy Norwood as Cinderella Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother Bernadette Peters as Cinderella's stepmother Paolo Montalbn as the prince Whoopi Goldberg as the queen Victor Garber as the king and Jason Alexander as Lionel the herald. Several songs were added including The Sweetest Sounds from <em>No Strings</em> sung by Cinderella and the Prince and There's Music in You written for the 1953 film <em>Main Street to Broadway</em> sung as the finale by the Fairy Godmother. Sixty million viewers watched the broadcast making it the most-watched television musical in decades and earning ABC its highest Sunday-night ratings in 10 years.</p>