You can argue that there's no compelling reason to turn Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1957 TV musical "Cinderella" into a bona-fide Broadway show. Or that the version fashioned by Douglas Carter Beane, the one prettily filling up the Hippodrome Theatre's stage, isn't the best possible adaptation of that small-screen classic.
But you can't argue with the breezy entertainment afforded by this tweaked "Cinderella," served up in spirited fashion by an appealing cast. Above all, the production offers an opportunity to Rodgers and Hammerstein's charming and undervalued score (augmented by a few songs they wrote for other shows).
Once upon a time, Hammerstein fashioned a straightforward scenario out of a beloved fairy tale, relying on the familiar protagonists — a young woman mistreated as a servant by her cold stepmother and vain stepsisters; a listless prince badly in need of a bride; a fairy godmother capable of conjuring up cool glassy footwear.
Beane's telling of the story eliminates some characters, invents or adjusts others. The questionable decision to give one of the stepsisters a kinder, gentler side leads to the even more questionable idea of turning "Stepsisters' Lament," one of the original score's most delectable numbers, from a duet into a single lament with chorus.
I especially miss the prince's parents in this version; the king and queen added so much to the 1957 telecast. And I wish I knew why the Cinderella's name had to be shortened to Ella, the prince's to Topher (from Christopher). It's just irksome.
The plot now comes peppered with politics and heightened class distinctions, additions that get pretty pushy at times. And some newly devised twists don't convince. The loss of a glass slipper, for example, becomes a Cinderella-assertive strategy that lacks theatrical impact. A ridicule game at the prince's court is particularly clunky.
Still, for every pick-able nit, "Cinderella" offers effective doses of sweetness and wink-wink wit as it swirls along.
And, except for the heroine's anti-climactic party-crashing entrance (a grand staircase would help, for a start), the production serves up plenty of good old-fashioned visual panache. William Ivey Long's prismatic costumes are a big part of this pleasing picture.
The national tour cast, directed by Gina Rattan, features Tatyana Lubov in the title role. There's room for a more personal stamp, but Lubov's acting is amiable, her singing polished.
She and her prince, Hayden Stanes, often push their voices needlessly to make a point, turning downright stentorian in the lovely duet "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful." Otherwise, Stanes offers stylish singing to go with his thoroughly winning portrayal.
There are colorful efforts by Sarah Primmer as the stepmother, Mimi Robinson and Joanna Johnson as the sisters. Chris Woods yells his way rather gratingly through the invented role of the revolutionary Jean-Michel.
Leslie Jackson uses her bright, clear soprano voice to keen advantage as Marie, aka fairy godmother, and delivers even the heavy-handed dialogue charmingly. Speaking of voices, the most impressive belongs to Vincent B. Davis (Lord Pinkleton), a genuine operatic tenor who sings the heck out of his all-too-brief music.
If you go
"Cinderella" runs through Sunday at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Tickets are $25 to $150. Call 800-982-2787, or go to ticketmaster.com.