There was an article on it in the OC Register this morning
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/06/14/sections/entertainment/entertainment/article_558233.php
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
'Cinderella' sequel heads out to sea
Disney Cruise Line unveils a new musical for its West Coast sailings.
By PAUL HODGINS
The Orange County Register
A Disney experience is a Disney experience, whether you're in one of the parks, at the movie theater, or even out at sea.
On Saturday, the Mouse House demonstrated its extraordinary ability to adapt its foolproof product to any environment. "Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story," a new 50-minute musical, was performed before an audience of media, VIPs and a lot of happily squealing kids at the 975-seat Walt Disney Theatre in San Pedro. Well, not inSan Pedro, exactly - the theater is squeezed into three decks of the Disney Magic, a 964-foot behemoth that's the pride of the company's fleet of oceangoing cruise ships.
Saturday's press event marked the unveiling of a new show designed exclusively for the Disney Magic; it's one of three musicals that alternate regularly during the ship's seven-night cruises between Los Angeles and the Mexican destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas. This is the first time that
Disney Cruise Line, an East Coast-based operation, is offering service on the West Coast. The sailings, which are part of the company's 50th anniversary celebrations, will continue through Aug. 20.
"It took about 18 months to perfect this," said Anne Hamburger, executive vice president of Disney Entertainment, who is responsible for all live stage shows in the company's theme parks and aboard its ships. Rehearsing "Cinderella" and working it into the theater's busy performance schedule was a complex and sometimes frustrating challenge, Hamburger said. The crew worked late at night on the set, which must be assembled and broken down quickly and fits into a space directly below the stage via a compact hydraulic lift. The 21 performers rose before daybreak to rehearse the show's seven musical numbers. Then after lunch, the set was struck and the same actors and crew prepared for one of the other two shows conceived exclusively for the cruise ships, "The Golden Mickeys" and "Disney Dreams." "The whole process is like learning a new musical in a busy repertory theater," Hamburger said.
Fans of Disney's original 1950 animated film version of "Cinderella" won't be disappointed by this sequel. The show superimposes snippets from several of the movie's scenes on large scrims (because of backstage space limitations, projections are favored over set pieces for Disney's shipboard productions). The excerpts from the film serve as introductions and transitions, dovetail neatly with the live action, and remind us of the relationship between this "Cinderella" and its well-loved Disney predecessor.
But there the similarities end. Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who co-wrote the book and songs, have concocted an ingenious story that begins where the original leaves us. The Wicked Stepmother and her two odious daughters, furious over Cinderella's snagging of the Prince, enlist the assistance of an evil fairy godfather named Franco DiFortunato to reverse time. Given a second chance, they make sure the slipper never finds its way to Cinderella's foot. As if that wasn't bad enough, our luckless scullery maid is reduced to the size of a mouse, joining her rodent pals Gus and Jaq in the sewing basket at the foot of her bed.
Fortunately, the Fairy Godmother comes through - again - and delivers a Happily Ever After, Mark II. Everyone in the mostly youthful cast has a terrific time singing Weiner and Zachary's six new songs, which supplement two famous tunes from the original: the Fairy Godmother's celebration of spell-casting ineptitude, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes."
Other than the frequent projections, this "Cinderella" looks and feels like a typical big-venue stage show, with plenty of special effects and enough performers to fill the surprisingly large stage, which boasts a 40-foot proscenium. But don't get too excited: "Cinderella" can be seen only by paying passengers. And the West Coast summer cruise schedule is almost sold out.
For more information about Disney Cruise Line's West Coast summer season, call (888) 325-2500 or visit
www.disneycruise.com.
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