‘Bad Cinderella’ Broadway Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest version could use a bad thing

Your first thought after seeing it Evil CinderellaAndrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical is not The bad. For better or for worse.

The musical, energetically directed by Laurence Connor, opens on Broadway tonight with quite a reputation: we heard it was panned by critics in London (it wasn’t). That Andrew Lloyd Webber destroyed it himself (he didn’t).

The truth: Evil Cinderellaknown as simply old cinderella during a truncated London run horribly timed to coincide with the Covid pandemic (that was Lloyd Webber’s point when he complained as he opened the show) is a musical that retells the age-old story on its turning its head and modernizing it with an irreverent, knowing tone was meant to mock the old teachings and replace them with new ones – with a moral, like the moral of the story, more in tune with contemporary thought.

What, you’ve seen it before, maybe when it was mentioned Bad? In the forest? Six? There’s no shortage of variations on this idea, and another one is coming to Broadway, complete with Britney Spears songs and a host of famous ladies informed by Betty Friedan.

Done right, gripping stories that we loved as kids (or maybe really didn’t) can be insightful (it helps to have Sondheim on your team) or cool (definitely a plus if you have Emma Stone play your villain) or , like the old one Broken fairy tale Cartoons, just funny (RIP Edward Everett Horton).

Evil Cinderella have a little bit of everything. A little. Just enough to put it somewhere in the middle of the Lloyd Webber catalogue. It doesn’t have the satisfying weirdness of cats (or a single song that hits the heights of “Memory”) or the romance of The skim of the operaor the deafening score of Jesus Christ Superstar. And while flirting with camp’s eccentric appeal boulevard of twilight, There is no stepfamily that will make us forget about Norma Desmond.

What Evil Cinderella has a sufficiently entertaining premise, an enticing choice of please-in-the-moment songs, gorgeous set design, a cast that gives it their all, and just enough exciting, good-hearted moments to hold on to the hope that this is the case Evil Cinderella will arrive at a transformative place before Dorothy must return to Kansas.

Wrong story, I know, but you can’t help but be reminded of other films and musicals when you watch it Evil Cinderella. Intentionally or not, Lloyd Webber, lyricist David Zippel (city ​​of angels) and writer Emerald Fennell (kill Eve) created a work destined to commemorate earlier, usually better works – at one point Linedy Genao, the soft-voiced actress who plays Cinderella, finally admits she has a heart because she can feel it breaking (the tin man might want a word). Just before halftime, a late, black-clad godmother (Christina Acosta Robinson), fairy or not, has a solo – “Beauty Has A Price” – that in its menace and performance can’t help but stir memories. By In the forestmuch better “Last Midnight”.

Recognizing the influences and/or rip-offs of an artwork can be addictive. Is this stepsister’s line a nod to the camp classic? What happened to Baby Jane? Are Cinderella’s dabs under her eyes a nod to glitter rock king Marc Bolan?

Probably not, but Evil CinderellaAs distracting as it can often be, at other times it leaves plenty of room for the mind to wander. Nowhere is this more evident or unfortunate than in the scenes where the title character enjoys prominence.

Genao is a wonderful singer, a true modern Broadway giant with a voice that effortlessly transports Lloyd Webber-Zippel’s power ballads. Genao is less nuanced in the acting department and gets little help from book writer Fennell in creating an interesting or even particularly likable protagonist. evil Cinderella, As the song-dance ensemble tells us in a big, hilarious opening number (“Beauty is our duty!” they sing), they are a hated, feared and rebellious inhabitant of the otherwise perfect story town of Belleville. In fact, our first clue to this troublemaker is a graffiti that reads “Beauty Sucks!”. She must be quite scared.

If alone. With a musical “Here-she-comes” intro reminiscent of “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch,” the long-awaited arrival of this rumored hero is a disappointment. Cinderella is less evil than grumpy, a vaguely punk teenager who alternates between pouty and grumpy, with leather tunics and purple speckled tights suggesting that the local Belleville mall is a hot topic. Yes, compared to the bright, brilliantly colored glory of the other townspeople, Cinderella looks like a funny ball, but honestly, there are probably worse-looking kids in the audience every night.

Of course she has reason to be moody no matter what mean girls Stepsisters (Morgan Higgins and Sami Gayle) and a wonderfully villainous stepmother (the beloved Carolee Carmello). Cinderella has only one joy in life: her longtime secret friendship with highborn Prince Sebastian (Jordan Dobson, who made good on the promise he made last fall with a stunning, show-stealing performance of “Shilo” in A beautiful sound).

You’ll discover the details of the plot long before the break: Cinderella will change her punk ways with a magical makeover – long blonde hair, a seductive, shiny, girly white dress – before finding out that her prince has taken a liking to her just like she was.

Along the way there are plenty of occasionally funny jokes, some casually funny puns, and plenty of Lloyd Webber’s catchy tunes. Among the highlights: Sebastian’s sad ballad “Only You, Lonely You”, the tough “Man’s Man” performed by the Queen (a funny Grace McLean), and best of all, “I Know You”, a sick comic duel between Carmello’s stepmother and McLean’s queen. In their plumpest tones, the actors have the time of their lives as their characters indulge in a passive-aggressive one-man show, with each of Belleville’s two tallest ladies reliving the other’s unsavory, despicable past. The number repeats several times and may hold another.

However, note that the main character is not on this best list, and she is Evil Cinderellathe curse. As pleasant as Genao’s voice is, Cinderella rarely (actually never) takes center stage without us looking forward to the stepmother’s return. Or the queen. Or the prince. Or even the dazzling, lavishly decorated royal sets (Gabriela Tylesova designed both the picture-perfect sets and the colorful costumes, all enhanced by Bruno Poet’s lighting design).

With a well-staged performance – Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group produced with No Guarantees Theater Productions – Evil Cinderella benefited greatly from its splendor at a time when large parts of Broadway – A dollhouse And march, for starters – strive for elegant minimalism. Gareth Owen’s sound design clearly captures the thundering vocals – that’s a compliment – ​​of the large vocal ensemble, and JoAnn M. Hunter’s choreography seems to mix everything from ballroom dancing to Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation moves. It works against all odds.

Until it reaches its happy ending – the musical never pretends to care – Evil Cinderella leave us both more or less satisfied and more or less disappointed (you’ll think of loose ends before you hit the exit door; whatever done Coincidence that we could be an alliance of friends between the good-evil heroine and her evil-evil stepsister?). It’s certainly not Andrew Lloyd Webber’s worst musical (aspects of love is safe) and also not as problematic (or characteristic) as Evita. Place it somewhere in between rock school And The woman in whiteenjoy and hope for a happier ending next time.

Title: Evil Cinderella
Location: Broadway Imperial Theatre
Director: Laurent Connor
A book: Emerald Fennel
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Text: David Zippel
main cast: Linedy Genao, Carolee Carmello, Grace McLean, Jordan Dobson, Sami Gayle, Morgan Higgins, Christina Acosta Robinson.
Period: 2 hours 30 minutes (including break)