Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Times Square, I spontaneously decided to rush Bad Cinderella. I ran inside moments before the show started and the music commenced as soon as I was seated.
It was…jarring. I don’t want to put the blame on the show for that. I had no time to adjust to being in a theater, and I had no expectations for the show itself. But yeah, it was off to a striking start. I do want to note however that the performers were all incredible. Everyone on that stage was immensely talented, and any criticism I have is not for them. It’s for the content and makeup of the show.
In the beginning, I was confused. The costumes were bright and unique. I wanted to wear the colorful tulle that everyone was wrapped in. The first song was fun and catchy and the choreography was exciting. I thought I was supposed to hate this! The internet was buzzing with a distaste for the musical, but to me, it was off to a funky and enjoyable start.
My first issue started when Cinderella came out on stage.
She had a beautiful voice and played the character incredibly. However, the fact that the town and its residents called Cinderella “Bad Cinderella,” as in “bad girl,” was just very off-putting. And lyrics of the song “Bad Cinderella” were honestly underwhelming and didn’t seem thought out. The melody of the song itself was forgettable. It was still the beginning of the show though, so I just sat back and watched.
The first act was genuinely funny. I found myself laughing out loud and leaning toward the stage in anticipation of the show. Some of the music was really good! But the songs that weren’t really good were just bad. There was no middle ground. “Only You, Lonely You” was one of my favorites. It was a beautiful ballad with the vibe of Les Miserables.
The Queen and the Stepmother were hilarious characters. Their duet “I Know You” had me cackling in the audience. The Stepsisters also packed a comedic punch. The side characters were all funny and made a really good addition to the show. They were just the right amount of gaudy and ridiculous.
The second-act plot twist is my forever favorite part of this show. You’ll know it when you see it, but it was unexpected and funny. However, after this scene, there was a randomly placed salsa dance number. It was done very well, it was just unexpected.
My main criticism of the show is that it felt like everything was done very randomly. Many things felt that they had no rhyme or reason. However, I still don’t think this was a bad show. I enjoyed my time in that theater, I was laughing through the whole show, and I really enjoyed a lot of the music and dancing. So in my opinion, Bad Cinderella is not all that bad!
Feature image via https://badcinderellabroadway.com/