Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Director and Choreographer, Matt West and I were asked to create a new concept for the classic Rogers & Hammerstein musical. We set the show in the Golden Years of Hollywood.

The head of the movie studio was having a casting call for someone to be the leading lady in his next film. Her Stepmother owned Western Costume where Cinderella slaved away on her sewing machine up "In my own little corner" in the attic of the costume storage. She dreamed of going to the audition and becoming a star.

There were many scenes set at the Movie Studio, The Brown Derby, Griffith Observatory among other locations. We created a mesmerizing environment that the audience would easily recognize when they walked into the Theatre, hence the False Proscenium was designed to evoke Graumann's Chinese Theater.

The final scene was a Busby Berkeley inspired filming of the Wedding of Cinderella the Movie Star to the son of the head of the Movie Studio. We collaborated for weeks creating the story and the dialogue and of course utilized the remarkable and well loved score. Matt and I were disappointed that the project did not move forward but we had a wonderful time collaborating on the concept, script, and design.