Can a musical rewrite the rules of a classic fairytale?
In short: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella reimagines a beloved legend by tackling modern themes like beauty shaming and gender roles. While the West End production earned five stars, its Broadway transfer, retitled Bad Cinderella, faced harsh criticism for a muddled script, marking a rare departure for the composer.
This musical reimagines the traditional Cinderella story through Emerald Fennell's book, David Zippel's lyrics, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. Set in the town of Belleville, France—a place obsessed with being the 'Most Attractive Town'—the story explores the pressures of perfection. In this version, the Godmother is a plastic surgeon who provides a temporary cosmetic makeover in exchange for a necklace, warning that the pain of maintaining such beauty lasts only until midnight. The townspeople scapegoat the local misfit, Cinderella, after the local monument is vandalised. This causes the community to lose its prestigious award streak.
The plot introduces significant departures from the original folklore. Prince Sebastian, the shy and gawky younger brother of the supposedly fallen Prince Charming, is the romantic lead. The story also features a twist where Prince Charming returns, revealed to be alive and gay, marrying the Duc de Violette. This shift moves the focus from a simple marriage plot to a broader exploration of authenticity and the cost of societal expectations. The musical's concept album was released in July 2021. It even earned a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
The production's journey was marked by significant challenges. London shows were halted by COVID-19 outbreaks following the start of West End previews in June 2021. The show eventually opened in August 2021 and ran until June 2022. A Broadway transfer titled Bad Cinderella opened in March 2023, but after receiving largely negative reviews and failing to secure Tony Award nominations, it closed in June 2023, ending a continuous 44-year streak of Lloyd Webber productions on Broadway. The Broadway production featured Linedy Genao in the title role. It closed after only eighty-five regular performances.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Cinderella (Lloyd Webber musical)
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/society-cinderella-lloyd-webber-musical.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Childhood · More in Society · Latest · A–Z · All topics
