Cinderella is one of the most popular fairy tales in European tradition. Since 1899, it has inspired literally hundreds of movies. A new musical version of Cinderella will be released September 3, 2021. It stars Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello in her acting debut. Cabello also wrote some of the songs for the movie.

Trailer park

Who’s Who in Cinderella

I predict that this version of Cinderella will be as popular with females of the current generation as the Rodgers & Hammerstein version was with my generation. Kay Cannon (30 Rock, Pitch Perfect) wrote and directed this Cinderella. The movie offers an impressive cast. Camila Cebello stars as Cinderella, the unwanted, overworked stepdaughter. In this version Cinderella doesn’t want to marry a handsome stranger to escape her harsh life. No, she wants to design and make clothes. Falling in love is a bonus, not a goal in its own right.

Idina Menzel (Elsa in Disney’s Frozen) stars as Vivian, the wicked stepmother. Millie Baillio (Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray Live!) and English actress Charlotte Spencer (Charlotte Applesby in The Living and the Dead) play the ugly, jealous stepsisters. English actor Nicholas Galitzine (Mark Fleming in the 2017 remake of The Watcher in the Woods, Timmy in Craft: the Legacy, and Conor in Handsome Devil) is Prince Robert. Pierce Brosnan (Remington Steele, 007 in GoldenEye) plays the prince’s father, King Rowan. Minnie Driver (the voice of Jane in Disney’s Tarzan, Lady Eboshi in Princess Mononoke) plays Queen Beatrice.

Tony-winning actor/singer (Lola in the Broadway production of Kinky Boots, Behold Chablis in American Horror Story) Billy Porter plays the fairy godparent, the Fab G. English comedian James Acaster, James Corden (Fletch in Lesbian Vampire Killers), and British television host Romesh Ranganathan play the three mice who are transformed into footmen.

The Music

Unlike Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1965), Disney’s Cinderella (1951), or The Slipper and the Rose (1976), where the songs were written by a steady team like the Sherman Brothers or Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the songs in this new Cinderella come from a variety of sources. One song is Freddie Mercury of Queen, one by Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire, one by Gloria Estefan of the Latin Sound Machine, and three are by Cebello. One song is by the Jackson Five’s sister, Janet Jackson. Will this eclectic collection of musical sources create a motley cacophony or will they blend together into a cohesive whole?

Debuting September 3

Cinderella will debut September 3, 2021. Are you looking forward to seeing it? I predict that this version of Cinderella will be as popular with females of the current generation as the Rodgers & Hammerstein version was with my generation. How do you think this will compare with the Disney versions – either 1951 or 2015? Or The Glass Slipper or The Slipper and the Rose?

To enjoy this music video from Camila Cebello as Cinderella, turn down the SciFi.Radio sound stream.

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Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.