Nambi Mwassa, Isa Condo-Olvera, Sally Wingert, and Hope Nordquist Photo by Dan Norman

As a stage musical, Cinderella has its own interesting history. It premiered as a one-night-only television special on CBS in March, 1957. Broadcast live from a Manhattan TV studio, it starred the toast of the town, Julie Andrews, just one year after her smashing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Being the early days of television, Cinderella became the most-viewed single performance in any media in the history of the world. An original cast album was released the very next morning, but the film of the performance was of insufficient quality to be rebroadcast. You truly had to be there.

In 1965, Cinderella was revived for television audiences, with an 18-year-old Lesley Ann Warren in her breakthrough role. This time it was recorded on videotape suitable for annual rebroadcasts and eventually released on home video so those who loved it could watch it as often as they wished. A new television production starring Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother was produced in 1997. This was another huge success with critics and audiences, and gave little girls of color the opportunity to see themselves as the beautiful, brave, and kind heroine. There have been numerous stage productions, including the Los Angeles Light Opera and the New York City Opera mountings in the early 1990s, as the television version's ninety minutes runtime was fleshed out with additional songs from Rodgers' vast catalog. A 30-week national tour in 2000-2001 starred Eartha Kitt as the Fairy Godmother. It had a short stay in New York, but at Madison Square Garden, not on Broadway.

It wasn't until 2013 that Cinderella finally became a bona fide Broadway musical, arriving with a new book by playwright Douglas Carter Beane (Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the original book). Beane gives Cinderella's nasty stepsisters, who were always painted as comedic buffoons, a "mean girls" attitude, and gives the wicked stepmother, now called Madame, a comedic flare laced with sarcasm and ridicule. A new character, Jean-Michel, is an earnest young man preaching social justice and advocating for the downtrodden, thus offering both Cinderella and the prince, who Beane named Topher, something more to think about than love at first sight, waltzing, and glass slippers. Rest assured, though, the show still offers us love at first sight, waltzing, and glass slippers (though they actually look more like glass gym shoes, with Matthew J. Lefebvre responsible for the extremely witty costumes).

Beane's book definitely makes this Cinderella feel like a show for the 21st century, rather than carrying the dust, golden though it be, of a "golden age" show. That is a virtue, but it also puts the show sometimes at odds with itself, with the frequent mood shifts between snarky humor, social-consciousness, fantasy, and romance. Justin Lucero, making Cinderella his first time in the director's chair since taking the reins as Theater Latté Da's artistic director, manages these shifts as well as anyone could, enabling each mood to work on its own terms, and keeping the narrative gracefully rolling ahead. The musical staging, with choreography by Kyle Weiler, is impressive, working with a small ensemble to create a feeling of full production numbers that enhance the narrative.

Of course, the core of this is Rodgers' and Hammerstein's lovely score, full of romance, heart, humor and joy. All the songs written for the 1957 premiere are here–some of us have been humming those melodies all these years–and several cut from other Rodgers and Hammerstein shows have been added. The tone is set by giving the prince, rather than Cinderella, the first song. In "Me, Who Am I?" Prince Topher reveals that he is searching for meaning in his life, not merely a trophy wife. The charming "In My Own Little Corner" is Cinderella's song of yearning, which must have put the original Cinderella, Julie Andrews, in My Fair Lady's "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" frame of mind. "The Prince Is Giving a Ball," a robust number, ignites the stage with high-spirited anticipation. "Impossible" and its reprieve, "It's Possible," unleash positive energy that instills belief in happy endings. The waltz "Ten Minutes Ago" is up there with Rodgers' best–and no one has ever written better waltzes for the stage than Richard Rodgers.

The second act features the marvelously acerbic "Stepsister's Lament," given a brilliant delivery by Hope Nordquist as stepsister Charlotte. The paired "When You're Driving Through the Moonlight" and "A Lovely Night" give Cinderella (luminously by played by Nambi Mwassa) a chance to relive the sheer beauty of her escape from drudgery, even if only for one night, with her stepsisters (Isa Condo-Olvera is the other stepsister, Gabrielle) and stepmother, a knock-out performance from Sally Wingert, who has "droll" down to a fine art.

Prince Topher, in an earnest performance by Theo Janke-Furman, gives a heartfelt rendering of "Loneliness of Evening," a song written for but not used in South Pacific that has been attached to Cinderella since the 1965 remake. Another song not in the original score, "There's Music in You," (from the 1953 move Main Street to Broadway and added to the Brandy/Whitney Houston version) is an inspirational number for fairy godmother Marie, not quite up with "You'll Never Walk Alone" or "Climb Every Mountain," but strong enough to deliver the injunction to believe in yourself. On opening night, Carnetha Anthony, covering the role of Marie for Deidre Cochran, gave a wonderful performance. The melodic love song for Cinderella and Topher, "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" effectively seals the deal and assures us that true love will prevail.

In addition to the cast members named above, Po Cushman makes a strong impression as Jean-Michal, Tod Peterson is appropriately awful as the conniving and corrupt Sebastian, and Evan Tyler Wilson as the officious Lord Pinkerton has a cheery presence, especially when he glides on and off stage. James Delage, Abby Magalee, Jon Michael Stiff, and Gabriella Trentacoste form the hard working ensemble, terrific in dance sequences and making strong contributions throughout the production.

Rodgers' lilting music sounds lovely as played by a six-piece orchestra, divided onto two platforms on either side of the stage, and conducted by Wesley Frye. The vocals, however, are uneven. While every one of the cast members is excellent in their roles, for some, their singing is sometimes strained, losing strength on high notes or wavering off pitch a bit. Perhaps it was simply a bad night, vocally, for some of the cast members.

The physical production, with scenic design by Eli Sherlock, uses abstract arc fragments that can be rearranged to form different shapes–none of which really seem to conjure any particular image–until at the crucial moment, they converge to form the magical carriage (formerly a pumpkin) that transports Cinderella to the prince's ball. The rearrangement to create this effect is artfully staged, as is the transformation of Cinderella's ragged clothing into a stunning gown. There are no flashy special effects, but inventive and elegant staging manages the trick. Marcus Dilliard's lighting design is effective throughout, as is Kevin Springer's sound design. A pair of puppets that appear–a fox and a racoon–are charmingly rendered.

Theater Latté Da has ventured into new pastures by mounting Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. While it is considered by no one to be on par with the pair's great works, it is a good place to start, especially as a holiday season entertainment that a family can enjoy together. The staging is solid, the performances are winning, the jokes are funny, and the songs bear the lilt and romance of Rodgers and Hammerstein. That, and a happy ending.

Theater Latté Da's Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella runs through January 5, 2025, at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-339-3303 or visit theaterlatteda.com.

New Book: Douglas Carter Beane; Original Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II; Additional Lyrics: Douglas Carter Beane, David Chace, and Bruce Pomahac; Music: Richard Rodgers; Director: Justin Lucero; Choreographer: Kyle Weiler; Orchestrations: Danny Troob; Music Adaptation and Arrangements: David Chase; Music Director: Wesley Frye; Scenic Design: Eli Sherlock; Costume Design: Matthew Lefebvre; Lighting Designer: Marcus Dilliard; Sound Designer: Kevin Springer; Wigs, Hair and Makeup Design: Priscilla Bruce; Props Design: Madline Foster; Casting Supervisor: Sheena Jansen Kelley; Assistant Choreographer: Hannah Benditt; Music Supervisor: Jason Hansen; Technical Director: Bethany Reinfeld; Production Stage Manager: Shelby Reddig; Director of Production: Allen Weeks; Stage Manager: Joelle Coutu; Assistant Stage Managers: Austin Schoenfelder, Ajah Williams.

Cast: Diedre Cochran (Marie), Isa Condo-Olvera (Gabrielle), Po Cushman (Jean-Michel), James Delage (ensemble), Theo Janke-Furman (Topher), Abby Magalee (ensemble), Nambi Mwassa (Ella), Hope Nordquist (Charlotte), Tod Petersen (Sebastian), Jon Michael Stiff (ensemble/Fox), Gabriella Trentacoste (ensemble/Racoon), Evan Tyler Wilson (Lord Pinkleton), Sally Wingert (Madame).