The Pitch: Co-produced by
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella TV musical features a “color-blind” cast led by a lovely
Brandy, at the height of her R&B and acting career.
Why It’s Essential Quarantine Viewing: Because the world is full of zanies and fools who don’t believe that the Brandy
Cinderella is a bonafide classic.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is an unlikely ’90s classic. When it debuted on ABC in 1997, it was met with a chilly reception from critics, with the New York Times even calling it a “cobbled-together ‘Cinderella’ for the moment, not the ages.” But it’s accepted nowadays as one of the most beloved if not the best
Romeo + Juliettold a classic story in a new, aggressively modern way. On television, although
The Cosby Show,
Family Matters, and
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had left the air earlier in the decade, the new network UPN and the WB were taking chances on talent like Steve Harvey, Tia and Tamera Mowry, and
Cinderella star Brandy.
Disney s musical remake stepped into this moment of possibility, with one glass slipper solidly grounded in the familiar musical-theater world and one poised to land somewhere wholly new. And, wonderfully,
Cinderella never seemed to have to choose a side. Take the physical world of the film: Production designer Randy Ser set it in a old-timey village, the kind that
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Just before “Cinderella” premiered in 1997, major outlets published their critics’ disenchanted reviews. “Cinderella’s glass slippers are far too big for Brandy to fill,” wrote the Chicago Tribune. “To put it bluntly, the girl can’t act.”
Variety described Whitney Houston’s Fairy Godmother as “a frightening caricature, one certain to send the kids scurrying into Mom’s lap.” And
More than two decades later, as the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
makes its streaming debut Friday on Disney+, it’s clear that “Cinderella” which attracted an estimated 60 million viewers in its initial airing, sold 1 million home entertainment units in its first week and was named the most profitable TV movie of its time was both for its moment and for the ages. In fact, the creatives behind Hollywood’s current movie-musical boom could learn a thing or two from its clever spin on a classic text.
Commentary: Critics ridiculed Brandy s Cinderella Its lasting legacy is a lesson to Hollywood yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.