Lyndon Terracini for Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live have announced that the Tony® Award-winning Broadway production of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella will dance its way into the Lyric Theatre, QPAC from 5 August, following the Australian Premiere at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in May. Tickets for the Brisbane season will go on pre-sale from 21 March with GP sale on 25 March. Waitlist now to be the first to buy tickets at cinderellamusical.com.au.
Leading the cast of this lavish production will be Brisbane’s own rising musical theatre star Shubshri Kandiah as Ella (Cinderella), a strong and intelligent young woman who dreams of escaping her endless chores so she might see the world, Shubshri shot to fame when she made her professional debut as Princess Jasmine in the Australian tour of Disney’s Aladdin after graduating from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. She also played Ismene in Antigone with Queensland Theatre, performed in The Pearlfishers, and starred in the 2021 national tour of Belvoir’s Australian musical Fangirls.
Playing opposite Shubshri will be her Aladdin co-star Ainsley Melham as Prince Topher, the charming Prince of the kingdom who needs guidance and inspiration to realise his full potential. Ainsley most recently starred as Charlie in Merrily We Roll Along at the Hayes Theatre Co, following the title role of Pippin at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre. He featured in the title role of Disney’s Aladdin across Australia and on Broadway, and also played Molina in MTC’s Kiss of the Spider Woman and Sonny in Xanadu at the Hayes.
John Frost and Lyndon Terracini are delighted to finally bring to the Australian stage one of the most beautiful musicals of all time. “We’re so excited to bring this Broadway favourite to Brisbane for the first time, especially starring Brisbane’s own Shubshri Kandiah. Cinderella is one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s greatest scores and this production with beautiful orchestrations, magnificent costumes and sets, jaw-dropping transformations and all the moments you love from the classic story, will have audiences clamouring for more.”
With its fresh new take on the beloved tale of a young woman who is transformed from a chambermaid into a princess, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella combines the story’s classic elements – the glass slippers, pumpkin, a beautiful masked ball and more – along with some surprising twists. More than just a pretty face with the right shoe size, this Cinderella is a contemporary figure living in a fairytale setting. A spirited young woman with savvy and soul, she not only fights for her own dreams, but forces the prince to open his eyes to the world around him and realise his dreams too.
One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most popular titles, Cinderella was written for television, debuting in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance. More than 100 million viewers saw the broadcast, more people than any other program in the history of television at the time. Cinderella was re-made for television in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren in the title role, Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon as the King and Queen, and Celeste Holm as the Fairy Godmother. A further television remake followed in 1997 with Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Bernadette Peters as the Stepmother, Whoopi Goldberg as the Queen and Jason Alexander as Lionel.
The stage version of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella made its long-awaited Broadway debut in January 2013, featuring a new book by Douglas Carter Beane and direction by Mark Brokaw, and it ran for two years. Mr Beane’s book blends masterfully with the musical’s cherished score, with songs including In My Own Little Corner, Impossible/It’s Possible, Ten Minutes Ago and Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella is a romantic and exciting experience for anyone who’s ever had a dream.
MELBOURNE
Regent Theatre, Collins Street, Melbourne
From 20 May
www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
BRISBANE
Lyric Theatre, QPAC
From 5 August
Waitlist now at cinderellamusical.com.au
SYDNEY
Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star
From 23 October
www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
