Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester will present the musical May 9–June 6, 2020, with a subsequent run at Clonter Opera Theatre, Cheshire, June 9–14.
Cinderella will be the first musical produced by A Factory of Creativity, the charity recently formed to take over the running of Hope Mill Theatre. Co-founders of Hope Mill Theatre Joseph Houston and William Whelton will direct and choreograph, respectively.
Casting, additional creative team members, and ticket information will be announced at a later date.
Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, said in a statement, “I am thrilled that the modern Broadway version of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella will be getting its U.K. theatrical premiere at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. Yes, the tale is tried-and-true, and yes, Ella of the Cinders has inspired many an adaptation, but there is only one time that the great team of Rodgers and Hammerstein put her squarely in their focus—and it took many years after the U.S. television premiere to find a proper theatrical footing. When this version opened on Broadway in 2013, its tagline was ’Glass slippers are so back.’ With a wink to the Cinderella traditions of the past—except pantos!—and a solid foot in a world where people take more control over their own lives, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella has already charmed new generations of musical theater enthusiasts.”
Julie Andrews starred in the 1957 made-for-television premiere of Cinderella, which was broadcast live to more than 107 million viewers across the U.S. The instant classic was remade for television in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren in the title role and again in 1997, starring Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother. Laura Osnes, Victoria Clark, and Santino Fontana opened the 2013 Broadway adaptation, which received nine Tony nominations, winning for Best Costume Design.
