We start with a very different take on this tale, as she has to share the stage with many more than just her evil stepsisters. The version of Cinderella found in Into The Woods, the classic musical written by the late great Stephen Sondheim. And warning for those who have not seen this masterpiece, for these work and future pieces I will be going into spoilers, and in this case, there is massive twist. Also for this version I will be covering the stage version as I have not seen the film.
The first act follows the story we know and sticks to the classic route of the original story, so birds attacking the sisters among other grim and violent parts included. It is the standard meeting a nice yet super goofy and aloof prince whose brother pines for Rapunzel, to falling in love, yet this version does not come with a fairy godmother, but the rest of the pieces are there. It seems all perfect for our new princess as the cast sings the song "Ever After" and the curtain falls and ends act one. But as act two begins she questions her life as a princess and a love that is fading, unfortunately even more so for her royal husband who has an affair and eventually leaves her alone, with a rampaging giant none the less. He even leads to the death of another character, on the prince scale, he stinks. She then helps save the day and helps the baker care for his child, as she finds a new family of friends in the ravaged world as the curtain closes with its impactful message.
This adaptation of the character is kind, gentle, and very intelligent. She has a great emotional range and is a character I find myself rooting for as she finds less and less of her identity in love and more in herself. She cares for the world around her, and is a empathetic character who you will want to see succeed. She has a solo song or two, and they are delightful. "A Very Nice Prince" adds a very nice emotional layer as from the beginning she questions if this is true love or just an emotion. All the songs in this show bring a great taste of relatability to the characters of this fairy tale world while still remaining whimsical. The emotions and conflicts relatable in many cases as the cast ventures into the woods with their dreams in tow.
This is a great version for the amount of time she has, she stands out among all the other stories she has to share the stage with. She has moments to her own and to interact with the vast cast of this show and this character stands out amazingly. She begins as someone who wants to go to a festival that you meet to someone who just wants love without having to earn it. She helps the world around her because she truly cares and is looking for a place to belong. This version of the tale adds some much-welcomed twists and turns that make it stand out and breath air into the classic tale. Enough is similar but enough is different that makes this a great story that is already being told in the same narrative with more the one tale that intertwine. Enough time is spent with the story to keep you invested and is told fantastically with some pieces missing but not the major story beats and some incredibly well written themes, and well asked questioned.
This version of the tale is a great FIT among the good Cinderella adaptations. But this is only the first glance, and there are many more coming, so stay tuned.
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