CRACKED SLIPPER
Before PC, and before the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization became so oddly insecure about the legacy and holdings of the two undisputed giants of American musical theater, there was a near-masterpiece made for television called “Cinderella†(“If the Slipper Fits . . . ,†by Laurie Winer, Aug. 24).
Those of us who enjoy lucky access to the original kinescope can marvel at so many wonderful moments. Among them, “Waltz for a Ball†is almost matchless in its inspired choreography--all the more wondrous given the small space it was staged in, and before live cameras. The stage musical was never more lyrical than this.
The recent “Carousel†from Britain, sanctioned by the R&H; office, drained too much of the original magic from that show--the qualities that Oscar Hammerstein called the “intangibles.†So now they are going to make “Cinderella†longer and add songs from other shows. Have they so little faith in the original that they couldn’t simply allow it to be restaged with new stars?
DAVID LEWIS
Piedmont
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