Fairy Godparents

[Sotiris]

Jennifer Lopez To EP Limited Series Based On Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ With Skydance And Concord
https://deadline.com/2022/05/jennifer-l ... 235021215/

[blackcauldron85]

I wonder if each episode will have one or two songs in it...I wonder if all the songs will be in it...

[Disney Duster]

I don't know how they can stretch a two hour musical into a TV series beyond, like, 4 half hour episodes, but obviously I'm really looking forward to this...now. We'll see if it still looks good when we hear and see more.

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't get how they'd be able to stretch it out either, but I'm curious. Perhaps they'll borrow R&H songs from their other musicals as necessary? Sort of the way the Whitney version gave Bernadette Peters' Stepmother a song (and I thought it worked really well!).

I wish JLO wasn't involved, I don't care for her. She did star in Maid in Manhatten (which I always thought of as a sort of Cinderella adaptation itself--it was always my favorite film of hers after Selena).

[Disney Duster]

You're probably right they will be mining non-Cinderella R+H songs for this. I wish they'd write new songs, though, just in their style.

I was hoping for something better than JLo too, and something better than a Babysitters Club writer, but I'm always optimistic. Maid in Manhatten is totally a Cinderella adaptation, though I never saw it.

[supertalies]

Why does this need to be a TV show though? Just make it a TV special, like the previous versions of R&H's Cinderella.

I also wonder who they'll cast as Cinderella. Most people nowadays associate R&H's Cinderella with the version from the 90s, so I definitely think this is also gonna be a very diverse cast like in that movie.

[Sotiris]

‘Cinderella’ Fairy Godparents Musical Series From Skydance TV In Works At Disney+; Jennifer Lopez Producing, Rachel Shukert EP & Showrunner
https://deadline.com/2025/07/jennifer-l ... 236463607/

[UmbrellaFish]

I read about this and I’m a bit confused— what makes R&H’s Cinderella, R&H’s Cinderella, at least to me, is the use of their iconic music. So will this series further dip into the R&H songbook? Otherwise, it’s just another take on fairy tales which Disney+ already has oodles of.

I don’t know, it sounds like a strange project to me.

I’d much prefer another version of R&H’s classic musical— this time, do it like they did back in 1957 and air it live. Some people might say it’s tired, we have three versions already, but I love the idea of a made-for-TV musical being revived for new audiences, just like Broadway musicals are onstage. It’s a tradition.

[Farerb]

Wouldn't you prefer a proper cinematic adaptation?

[Disney Duster]

Hm. If it's a series from the point of view of the fairy godparents with original music alongside the music from the 1957 movie, I am in.

I would have loved a Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Live! like UmbrellaFish said, keeping the tradition.

I would also love a cinematic version like Farerb said, but I've come up with ideas for that and would love to make that myself. Unless they surpassed my ideas, which would also be great.

[carolinakid]

The only new version of R&H’s Cinderella I would watch was if they stuck to the original Hammerstein book and didn’t try to “update” it for “modern” audiences.
I could also accept the 1965 changes if they used that Joseph Schrank version. But I know in Disney’s hands there’ll be “improvements” so they can keep it...

[UmbrellaFish]

Wouldn't you prefer a proper cinematic adaptation?

Eh, that’s never really crossed my mind. I think because it was originally written for television, it works perfectly for that medium.

[PatchofBlue]

I’d much prefer another version of R&H’s classic musical— this time, do it like they did back in 1957 and air it live. Some people might say it’s tired, we have three versions already, but I love the idea of a made-for-TV musical being revived for new audiences, just like Broadway musicals are onstage. It’s a tradition.

Oooo. That's a good idea!

[Disney Duster]

Wouldn't you prefer a proper cinematic adaptation?

Eh, that’s never really crossed my mind. I think because it was originally written for television, it works perfectly for that medium.

Rodgers and Hammerstein also put it on stage a little later than the original TV broadcast (still with Julie) and were going to make it a Broadway musical at one point as well. Their attempt did not happen, but it did make it to Broadway with a good new script and amazing costumes. It's been on TV and numerous stages, I think it could then be on the silver screen.

[UmbrellaFish]

Hi Duster— you’re right that R&H’s Cinderella has a long history of stage productions since first appearing on television. I may be misunderstanding you, and if so I apologize, but I just wanted to point out, Julie Andrews never appeared in any of those R&H Cinderella stage adaptations. I think you may be confusing this with an earlier, unrelated Cinderella pantomime in which Julie Andrews starred in the UK in the early 50’s, prior to moving to the US and beginning her career on Broadway. This panto told the story of Cinderella and starred Julie Andrews as the title character, but it predates R&H’s adaptation and had nothing to do with that songwriting team.

Many years later (and post-throat surgery), Julie did again perform one of the songs from R&H’s Cinderella in concert, this time singing the role of the Fairy Godmother: https://youtu.be/R2mL4P59www?si=vlGF69gf_yOc67lP

[Disney Duster]

Hi Brelly! You have schooled me lol. And don't worry I don't take offense. You must be right, because the pictures I found of Julie were from a UK pantomime. However, I thought it was after Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote their music, and that they incorporated their music into the pantomime. I just looked up the pictures of Julie in that fantastic ballgown (search Julie Andrews Cinderella pantomime) and it turns out you were right, it predates the Rodgers and Hammerstein one (and Rodgers and Hammerstein's has a way less impressive dress...lol).

Thank you for the "Impossible" clip from the concert! Cinderella's mimicking Julie was great acting, and Julie's acting was even more impressive! Too bad what the surgery did to her voice though...

[UmbrellaFish]

I’m glad you enjoyed the clip of “Impossible”! After posting that yesterday, I went to eBay and bought all the major recordings on CD: 1957, 1965, and 2013. Excited for when they arrive!

Speaking of Julie’s dress in the 1957 telecast, (you may already know this!) originally they did want her to have a big, poofy ballgown but had to scale down to the empire-waisted dress you see during the telecast due to constraints involved with filming and broadcasting live.

However, they did plenty of press photography of Julie in the “poofy” dress prior to making the decision to cut it. You can see the dress they originally intended for Julie to wear within the photoset located on the film’s IMDb page: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0129672/

[carolinakid]

I have the 1957, 1958 London cast with Tommy Steele, 1965 & 2013 CDS.
Also a karaoke version of instrumentals that I love to blast and sing along with in the car.
However, nothing, imo, tops the 1957 Julie Andrews version. I absolutely adore it even though the Lesley Ann Warren version is the one I grew up with.

[Disney Duster]

I have the original 1957 CD. It is the musical in its purest form.

I did indeed hear Julie was going to wear a poofy dress before they realized they had to slim it for live TV. I was under the impression the poofy dress they did the press photos in would not be the final, actual poofy dress, but maybe I am wrong. It is pretty, even though I don't know how to feel about the outlining of the breasts, but Cindy did want to get noticed by men...

Carolinakid, the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical in 1958 with Buttons is probably what I thought those Julie pantomime photos were from and why I got confused!