TV Musical Tonight
'Cinderella' combines best of old and new

Date: November 02, 1997
By Phil Kloer, TV Critic

From The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
Submitted by: Larry A.


'Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" Grade: A- 7 tonight on WSB/Channel 2 (78289). The verdict: Disney's latest trill ride.

Once upon a time ---and this is no fairy tale ---musicals were a glorious semi-regular occurrence on television, from Mary Martin in "Peter Pan" to Lauren Bacall in "Applause."

Although those days are mostly gone, one of the most fondly remembered, "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," is back in a version both timely and timeless, starring Brandy, Whitney Houston, Jason Alexander, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg and TV newcomer Paolo Montalban (no relation to Ricardo Montalban).

Will today's kids, their synapses fried by MTV, sit still for an unabashedly old-fashioned musical? They will with this cast, these eye-candy sets and these songs. (Adults should already have the sense to realize when something is semi-historic and not to be missed.)

In addition to a ravishing look and score, this "Cinderella" is groundbreaking in how it interweaves its interracial cast. A black queen (Goldberg) and white king (Victor Garber) have a Filipino prince of a son (Montalban), while the black Cinderella (Brandy) has a white stepmother (Peters) and two stepsisters, one black, one white. Rather than coming off as a '90s crusade for diversity, it's played matter-of-factly, just another part of a fantasy world where people break into song at the drop of a cue and precision choreography is a given.

Houston came up with the idea four years ago of reviving "Cinderella" (done in 1957 with Julie Andrews and again in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren) and wanted to play the ill-treated stepdaughter herself. But the project took too long in development, and Houston, 34, decided she was too old and moved to the Fairy Godmother slot. Good move.

Enter Brandy, popular singer and star of UPN's "Moesha," an 18-year-old with so much beauty and charisma it hardly matters that her voice is really too thin for the belt-it-out style of musical theater. This is her show, and even the sparkle of more-seasoned pros (Houston, Peters, Alexander as the royal family's valet) can't pull attention away from her.

It shouldn't have to be said but probably bears pointing out, that this is not a live version of Disney's 1950 animated "Cinderella," even though it appears on "The Wonderful World of Disney." The basic story, of course, is the same, but Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote their version for the live 1957 CBS broadcast. It's definitely second-tier R&H, but when your first tier includes "Oklahoma!," "South Pacific" and "The Sound of Music," you've created your own tough act to follow.

Three other Rodgers songs have been added that weren't in the original, improving the score. "Falling in Love With Love" becomes a lip-licking romp for Peters; "The Sweetest Sounds" showcases harmonies from Brandy and Montalban, and Houston gets the last warble with "There's Music in You."

A throwback to the '50s and '60s with numerous bows to the contemporary, "Cinderella" could have combined the worst of both eras. Instead, it offers the best.