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There might not be rose ceremonies in "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella," but this fairy tale has been cheekified for reality TV-loving families.
As Cinderella, Tatyana Lubov leads the national tour with a lovely voice and a graceful stage presence. She and her prince, Hayden Stanes, fall in love before our eyes in a beautifully choreographed waltz at a "Bachelor"-themed ball.
The story, anchored by a classic score, offers prerequisite witty asides for contemporary parents. There's also a new backstory for Stanes' goofy prince, formerly known as Charming, but now ploddingly nicknamed Topher.
Set aside the fact that you know who'll get the guy in the end. This is a story anchored in princess fashion: Cinderella gets the gowns, and they are truly show-stoppers.
The girl keeps running away from dates at midnight, but in this version Ella turns out to be a politically woke beauty. "You need to open your eyes to what's happening in your kingdom," she tells the prince as she begins her sprint home in high-heeled pumps made of glittering Venetian glass.
Douglas Carter Beane's new book is peopled with caricatures, and its contemporary story updates create something of a tone problem. This is a sumptuously beautiful show filled with overly broad comedy earnestness, but not much heart.
The musical awkwardly attempts to be both old-fashioned — for parents nostalgic for our era's Cinderellas — and progressively modern — working a bit too hard for the younger princess demographic. "Where's Cinderella?" my 4-year-old daughter kept asking during the Prince's long opening number that seems set in a "Beauty and the Beast"-style forest.
Overall, the show is at least 15 minutes too long for young kids, with too many musical reprises, and the adult-aimed story doesn't translate. Its jarring tonal shifts don't offer the pleasure of dramatic nuance.
What is charming is the live theater magic of William Ivey Long's Tony Award-winning quick-change costumes, which seem like the richest character in this Broadway-scaled show.
Keep your eyes on Lubov's lithe form in the last half of both acts, and you'll see her way twirl her way through costume changes even as her character keeps singing. Even the fairy godmother, as played by the big-voiced Leslie Jackson, gets her own instant makeup, as she changes out of her disguise as the village's Crazy Marie.
Lubov's acting and character seem happily grounded in earnestness, and she delivers her big numbers gracefully, even if it's hard to know what Cinderella actually dreams of. Her voice is particularly winning blending with Stanes on songs such as "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"
The prince's character has more rewrite problems, requiring Stanes to rely on awkward facial reactions. The actor cuts a tall, handsome figure, but the character is simply too dumb to be charming.
Joanna Johnson, a Utah State University-trained Grantsville native, wears well her 35-pound gaudy hot-pink ballgown as Charlotte, the self-absorbed stepsister. Johnson is particularly charming as she leads court ladies in "Stepsister's Lament." Local theatergoers should watch the ensemble's Matthew Davies, a swing who thanks Brigham Young University in his bio.
As we were hurrying down Regent Street to reach the theater, my other daughter's too-big Sunday shoes kept slipping off her feet, and we told her she was just like Cinderella.
That seems a fitting metaphor for this production. If you love the cute-meet nostalgia of a story that finds the girl power in ballgowns and glass slippers, this beautifully appointed family show is for you.
If you've earned your own theatrical tiara, you might want to find a story with a bit better footing.
facebook.com/ellen.weist —
Ball gowns and pumpkins and princes, oh my
Beautifully designed "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" spotlights a lead with a lovely voice and earnest charm, even as the story's contemporary notes don't quite land.
When • Reviewed on Tuesday; plays through Sunday; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 4, 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Where • Eccles Theater, 131 Main St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $30-$105 (plus facility and service fees ranging from $9-$12); 801-355-2787 or artsaltlake.org. Limited availability of scattered single seats and partially obstructed views.
Running time • Two hours and 10 minutes, including intermission