A Tale of Cinderella
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Movie Reviews of A Tale of Cinderella
Movie Review: A Tale of Two Cinderellas
Summary: 4 Stars
This New York State Theatre Institute production of a classic, Italian version of the fairytale, 'Cinderella,' is a metaphor for the oft used description, "Where you sit determines what you see." And, a child who watches 'A Tale of Cinderella' sits in a seat entirely different than that of an adult.
First, children (especially little girls) love 'A Tale of Cinderella.' The music and lyrics, created by Will Severin and George David Weiss, are engaging. And, what little girl does not wish to be a princess? 'A Tale of Cinderella,' is the classic story, but there is a "realness" in a stage production. There princess who endures real-life tragedies, the death of her mother and the marriage of her father to a witch of a stepmother. She overcomes these tragedies with the help of her fairy godmother to marry a prince. The live action on the stage adds realness for the younger viewer that the animated productions do not. Seeing little girls watch 'A Tale of Cinderella' over and over, it's not hard to understand that this regional production had such a successful run and caught the attention of Warner Brothers.
On the other hand, an adult will notice that this translation of a stage play to the small screen is a little clunky. There may not have been any way for the camera angles to have been improved, and as such, the action does not seem natural. Camera angle is not the only reason, however. An adult home video audience is not accustomed to seeing stage actors acting in a stage play on television, so some of the facial expressions and movements appear unnatural. Stage direction and the stage actors' anxiety due to the knowledge of being recorded for video may also have contributed to the unusual end product. Regardless of the reason, many, more mature viewers, i.e., parents, may find 'A Tale of Cinderella' a difficult to endure.
A bright spot with which both children and adults can identify, however, is the performance of Christianne Tisdale, who plays Angelina, or Cinderella. A veteran of the Broadway stage, Ms. Tisdale is a rose in a briar patch. The rest of the cast is mostly second-tier, regional actors. Sean Frank Sullivan is serviceable as the Prince, but many of the other performances are either overdone (the fairy godmother) or just terribly average (the evil stepmother). Fortunately, Ms. Tisdale single-handedly carries the show for the adult viewer with her angelic voice, stage presence, and experience.
If I were a seven-year old girl, give or take three years, I would have to give 'A Tale of Cinderella' a full, five-star rating, because I really would not know or care about good acting, directing, or producing. I would simply love the music and love Cinderella. On the other hand, if I were, say, a father of a couple of girls between the ages of four and ten, it would be difficult for me to look past the strangeness of the stage play on video and the mostly undistinguished performances. I, too, would have enjoyed the music and I would have loved to hear Christianne Tisdale sing. As such, I would only give the video two stars. Rounding up, it's a four.
*** 1/2
Movie Review: Just a fun bit of fluff
Summary: 4 Stars
Don't expect something visually amazing. This is a movie of a stage production. However, that being said, the costumes were cute and the music fun. My nieces and I loved to watch it together and it's not like you have to worry about them throwing out any profanity. It's good times.