Bad Cinderella

 Bad Cinderella
Imperial Theatre
March 9, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Bad Cinderella

Bad Cinderella, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical to come to Broadway from the West End, boldly transforms the Cinderella story.  The book, by Emerald Fennel, is sharp and daring.  The characters are inventive and uniquely funny.  The plot is packed with unexpected twists and turns.  David Zippel’s lyrics set up the main conflict and propel the action by making the character’s objectives clear and full of passion.  Mr. Webber pays homage to Richard Rogers melodies from the score of his well-known version of Cinderella, then transforms them to a deeper and darker mood.  

A full year has gone by since Prince Charming left Bellville to fight a dragon.  He is presumed dead.  On the day the Queen (played by Grace McLean) declares her second, timid, and homely son, Sebastian (played by Jordan Dobson) as the new heir to the throne, she unveils a monument to honor Charming in the town square.  Unfortunately, the statue has been vandalized.  The townspeople, who believe outer beauty is of utmost importance, all know the culprit is Bad Cinderella (played by Linedy Genao).  In order to distract the kingdom from panicking about an impending rebellion due to the defaced statue, the Queen decides to throw a Ball on Saturday night.  She demands that Prince Sebastian chose a bride at the Ball and marry her on Sunday.   

Linedy Genao as Cinderella
Photo courtesy of Bad Cinderella

Sebastian seeks out Cinderella, who is a childhood friend of his, and blames her for his situation.    He
invites Cinderella to the Ball so he won’t feel alone.  He is secretly in love with Cinderella, but is afraid to tell her.  Cinderella’s Stepmother (played by Carolee Carmello) overhears Sebastian inviting Cinderella to the Ball, and comes up with a plan to get her two daughters, Adelle (played by Sammi Gayle) and Marie (played by Morgan Higgins), in the Prince’s favor. 

Cinderella visits Godmother (played by understudy Paige Smallwood) for a makeover before the Ball.  Godmother warns her of the price of beauty, yet Cinderella accepts the consequences.  When she shows up at the Ball, Sebastian does not recognize her because of the makeover.  At midnight, he is tricked into an engagement with Adelle.  Out of jealousy, Marie decides to help Cinderella stop the wedding, but an unexpected arrival gets there before her. 

Jordan Dobson & Carolee Carmello
Photo courtesy of Bad Cinderella

Linedy Genao and Jordan Dobson are wonderful together as Cinderella and Sebastian.  They have a strong, sincere bond.  Their characters grow throughout the story.  Their relationship deepens with genuine emotion.  Mr. Dobson’s character opens up during his song “Only You, Lonely You” in Act I.  Ms. Genao soars while singing “Easy to Be Me” in Act I and “Cinderella’s Soliloquy” in Act II.  

Carolee Carmello is outstanding as Stepmother.  She and Grace McLean have great comic timing.  Their duet, “I Know You,” is brash and witty.  Understudy Paige Smallwood delivers a mysterious performance as Godmother.

The choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter is crisp and energetic.  The sets and costumes by Gabriella Tylesova are bright and imaginative.  The entire cast is amazing.  Bad Cinderella is a lot of fun and sure to be a hit. 

Domenick Danza

Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting

Broadhurst Theatre

April 2, 2016

Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

If you ever read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and thought it would make a great musical, you’ve got to see the Broadway production now in previews at the Broadhurst Theatre.  Composer Chris Miller, lyricist Nathan Tyson, and book writers, Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, exquisitely interpret this magical story for the Great White Way.  Director / Choreographer Casey Nicholaw invigorates the production with grace and panache.  The entire cast provides the heart and verve that entice and engage all your senses.

Eleven year old Winnie Foster (played by Sarah Charles Lewis) feels confined by the fence around her front yard and trapped in having to always be a “good girl.”  She escapes into the woods behind her house.  There she meets seventeen year old Jessie Foster (played by Andrew Keenan-Bolger).  He talks her into climbing to the top of the tallest tree in the forest, where Winnie gets a glimpse of her home from a new perspective.  Jessie tells Winnie his secret.  He and his family have not aged since they drank from a spring in the forest over one hundred years ago.  Neither of them knows the dangers that lie ahead when this secret gets out.

Andrew Keenan-Bolger & Sarah Charles Lewis
Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

Sarah Charles Lewis is making her Broadway debut as Winnie Foster in this production.  She is warm-hearted, energetic and truly amazing.  Andrew Keenan-Bolger is adventurous and trusting as Jessie Foster.  Carolee Carmello and Michael Park play his parents, Mae and Angus Tuck.  Together they give authentic and grounded performances.  Their relationship deepens as they open their hearts to eleven year old Winnie Foster.  Robert Lenzi is strong and endearing as Jessie’s brother, Miles.  His character opens up with honesty and vulnerability in Act II, when he tells the story of his son and how having an everlasting life caused them to separate.  Michael Wartella is witty and charming as Hugo, the impeccable side kick to Fred Applegate’s steadfast Constable Joe.  One of the highlights of the show is Terrance Mann as the Man in the Yellow Suit.  He is funny, evil, and superb.

Terrance Mann as the Man in the Yellow Suit
Photo courtesy of Tuck Everlasting

The set, designed by Walt Spangler, and lighting, designed by Kenneth Posner, give the production the magic and whimsy it deserves.  The tree is most astounding.  As Winnie and Jessie climb up the stylistically designed trunk and walk out on its bridge-like branches, it fills the stage like a green fortress.  The costumes by Gregg Barnes are perfect for the characters, setting, and time period.  Casey Nicholaw’s direction is seamless, but it is his choreography that brings the show to life.  The dancing connects the story elements, enhances the emotion of each scene, creates an atmosphere of enchantment, and brings the story to a stunning conclusion.

Tuck Everlasting opens on April 26.  It is sure to be a hit, so get your tickets now!

Domenick Danza

Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland

Lunt-Fontaine Theatre

October 31, 2015

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

I remember being inspired by the movie Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Freddie Highmore, who lit up the screen and captured the hearts of audiences everywhere.  When I saw the posters and advertisements for the musical version opening on Broadway last season, I knew that it had the potential for greatness, even though I could not remember the details of the story line.  The Broadway production is energetic, bright, and heartwarming.  It is not the story of Peter Pan, but the personal challenges of the writer J. M. Barrie and how and why he came to write his timeless tale of the boy who would never grow up.  Director Diana Paulus magically unravels the journey into the imagination of J. M. Barrie, and creates a production that heals the lost child within all of us.

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

The entire cast, led by Matthew Morrison and four amazing young actors, is bold, skillful, and exuberantly united.  Laura Michele Kelly is touching and tender as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies.  Carolee Carmello transforms in the character of Mrs. DuMaurier under the strain of heartbreaking grief and loss.  The understudy (yes, I saw the Saturday matinee) for Captain Hook, Paul Slade (in for Terrance Mann), gave depth to the role and convinced me to “live by the hook.”

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

The staging and choreography by Mia Michaels is what makes the show spectacular.  From the opening number and throughout the show, she surprises and amazes with high energy moves, unexpected patterns, and character driven gestures that move the story forward.  Her use of lifts to make characters fly affirms my belief that, in an era of high-tech theatrics, it is the simplest concepts that are always most effective.

Scenic design, by Scott Pask, is realistic, colorful, imaginative, and bright.  Lighting, by Kenneth Posner, beautifully enhances the mood, time period, and transitions.  The highlight in the score, by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, is the song “When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground.”  I am still singing it.

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

This show focuses on the healing power of the creative mind and the value of the imagination.  “A man who does not want to fight (for what he believes), deserves what he gets,” shouts Captain Hook at the end of Act I.  If your playfulness of youth needs to be ignited, see the show and set your heart on fire.

Domenick Danza