cinderella, then and now

The kid and I saw Cinderella this weekend.

Waiting for the show to start

It was her second Broadway musical - we saw Shrek the Musical about six years ago on a Thanksgiving trip to NY. This show was lots of fun, a revival of a revival, with a few contemporary and feminist spins to the age-old fairy tale.

Paige Faure and Andy Jones

Kecia Lewis and Paige Faure, photos from Playbill, by Carol Rosegg

I didn't realize that Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was originally written for television, as a vehicle for Julie Andrews. I saw the 1965 version of the musical on TV when I was a kid in the '70s, with Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella. As we watched the Broadway tour version the other day I was amazed at how many of the songs had stayed with me: "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible; It's Possible," "Stepsisters' Lament," and especially "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"

I'm not sure how much of an impression it made on the kid. She really liked it, especially Kecia Lewis as the Fairy Godmother, but she was a little frustrated that she couldn't see the actors' faces very clearly from where we were sitting. We were't in the nosebleed seats, but it was still a bit of a distance. I guess I may have had a more intimate experience, all those years ago, with the television close-ups and all. But there is something about live theater. The singing gives me goosebumps. You can't really beat that.

glum

Still missing LOST, I surfed the channels last night and ended on Glee. I've tried to watch this show quite a few times before. I love that Broadway divas like Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth stop by. I was excited to see how they would do Gaga last night. But the damn show is so affected. If only the kids would shut the hell up and just sing. The plotting and camera-work is horrific and the characters are frankly, pretty annoying. That excludes Jane Lynch, who can do no wrong. But so far she is not enough to make me get over the queasiness I feel every time I watch this show.

The two examples which stand out the most from last night are:

1. The speech by the dad of the young gay kid. I'm sorry, although I like this actor and his characterization, I cannot remember the names of any of these people. They just don't make an impact. Anyway, the dad made a wonderful speech to the dumb jock about how he loves his gay son and that anyone who can't deal with him and the way he is better hit the highway. A great sentiment. I can overlook that most folks don't speak so eloquently. What left a sightly uncomfortable feeling after his dad/love speech was the fact that even though the show may have its heart in the right place, by making such a big (preachy) deal about the fact that the kid is gay, they may also be making him more of a stereotype. I'm not sure. But I loved the room he decorated and the enthusiasm with how he presented it. I just felt that the actor and the character are more comfortable with who they are supposed to be than the scriptwriters.

2. The main girl (Rachel?) discovers that her mother is Idina Menzel and they do a duet to Lady Gaga's Pokerface. They can both sing and the song is great. The arrangement was a little weird, but I went with it. But to have the mother and daughter crooning to each other about their "muffin" and "glue-gunning" - give me a break already. This show is trying too damn hard. Trying too hard to be hip or quirky. It's one thing for Lady Gaga to sing those lines, but it just made the song and the show seem silly to have these two gals do it. Something that could have been easily fixed with repeating the chorus.

I'm sure I may flip past this show again if they are covering some songs by an artist that I like, but I doubt I will become a regular viewer, and certainly not devoted. And by the way, the KISS costumed number was the pits. They should have called in Glambert.