'Cinderella' in living color
Disney adds diversity to stunning story; "Cinderella" ABC, Sunday at 7 p.m., WCVB (Ch. 5)

Date: October 30, 1997
By Elaine Liner

From Boston Herald
Submitted by: Larry A.


Rating: 3 stars

Sunday's long-awaited new version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" is awash in a rainbow of brilliant colors - in the Gustav Klimt-inspired sets and costumes and in the unusual casting.

Brandy (Norwood), star of UPN's 'Moesha" and a singing sensation in the r&b genre, brings her strong, lovely voice and considerable star power to the title role of the young girl who lives under the thumbs of her mean stepmother (Bernadette Peters) and whiny stepsisters (Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle) in a family environment that would make Sally Jessy shudder.

Newcomer Paolo Montalban is the Prince, an idealistic young romantic whose idea of fun is dressing like a peasant so he can stroll through the village unrecognized. His parents, the kindly King and Queen, are played by Victor Garber and Whoopi Goldberg. His meddling valet is the prissy Lionel, played by Jason Alexander in what can only be described as a very Nathan Lane-like performance.

The Fairy Godmother is none other than pop diva Whitney Houston, who first envisioned this production with herself in the Cinderella role. Delays in the $ 12 million movie let years tick by. Now 33 and pregnant during filming, Houston opted not to pull a Diana Ross (remember "The Wiz"?) and to play the wand-waving secondary role instead.

The ethnic diversity of this all-star cast is staggering - and a bit over-reaching at times. Will young viewers question a black Cinderella who has a white stepmom, one white stepsister and one black stepsister? The Prince, who is Filipino, is, in this version of the familiar fairy tale, the offspring of a black mom and a white dad.

If this were anything but a children's story, somebody would be asking for DNA testing.

But those are grownup quibbles. The moppet set should love this magical, funny musical, which plays out very much like a full-length Disney cartoon done with real live actors. The big dance number, "The Prince is Giving a Ball," is especially reminiscent of a Disney movie such as "Beauty & the Beast," simply because it involves dozens of brightly dressed dancers leaping and twirling all over each other. Unfortunately, spectacularly choreographed scenes like that are seen only in animated flicks these days.

"Cinderella" was written for television and first aired in 1957 starring Julie Andrews. A reprise in 1965 starred Lesley Ann Warren and Stuart Damon.

The score boasts some of the most hummable tunes ever penned by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, including "Impossible," "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"

This production, however, wanted even more r&b songs, so three were borrowed from other shows: "The Sweetest Sounds" from "No Strings," "Falling in Love with Love" from "The Boys from Syracuse" and "There's Music in You" from the 1953 film "Main Street to Broadway."

Only the purists will object to the patchwork score. "The Sweetest Sounds" works well in the context of "Cinderella," sung in duet by Cinderella and the Prince as each dreams of finding true love.

Whitney Houston may be the most bankable name in this special, but Brandy waltzes away with the honors for best performance. Her angelic, wistful Cinderella is a real star turn that should bring the singer some offers of musical roles on Broadway. What a voice!

Other cast standouts are Alexander in the slapsticky Lionel role. Too bad he doesn't get to use his Tony-winning singing and dancing talent a bit more here. And Veanne Cox is a hoot as stepsister Calliope. If anybody ever casts the Carol Burnett story, Cox, a look-alike for the musical comedy star, should be guaranteed the lead.