''A Cinderella Christmas'' is a

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

version of the fairytale ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', with a book by Kris Lythgoe, using for its score a pastiche of well known pop tunes. It was first produced in 2010 at the El Portal Theatre in

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North H ...

. The music includes songs by

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

and

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

among others. Like other pantomimes, the show includes magic, dancing, singing, acting, audience interactivity and sing-a-long segments.

Plot

The story follows the traditional ''

'' fairytale, with some additional characters. Buttons is the Butler to wicked stepmother Baroness Hardup, and is Cinderella’s best friend. As in most

s, the

4th wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

is broken by the cast, who encourage the audience to cheer for Cinderella and boo the Wicked Step-Sisters.

Songs

Act 1

Let's Get Loud "Let's Get Loud" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her debut studio album '' On the 6'' (1999). Originally written by the song's co-writer Gloria Estefan for herself, she felt as if the song was too similar to her previ ...

– Ensemble *

California Gurls "California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, '' Teenage Dream'' (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg. The artists co-wrote the song with Bon ...

– The Step-Sisters *Just Haven’t Met You Yet – Prince Charming * Just Dance – Company *

Taking Chances ''Taking Chances'' is the tenth English-language and twenty-third studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records on 7 November 2007. Dion returned to the music scene after almost five years of performing ''A New Day...' ...

– Cinderella * Breakaway – Cinderella *

When You Believe "When You Believe" is a song from the 1998 DreamWorks musical animated feature ''The Prince of Egypt''. It was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz. A pop single version of "When You Believe", with additional music and lyrics by writer-prod ...

– Fairy Godmother

Act 2

Low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

– Ensemble * Need You Now – Prince Charming and Cinderella * Somewhere over the Rainbow – Cinderella and Buttons *All I Want For Christmas – Ensemble

Productions

El Portal Theatre

It was first produced in 2010 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, California, starring

Freddie Stroma Frederic Wilhelm C. J. Sjöström (born 8 January 1987), known professionally as Freddie Stroma, is an English actor and model, known for his work in roles including Cormac McLaggen in the ''Harry Potter'' film series; Adam Cromwell on the L ...

Jerry Mathers Gerald Patrick Mathers (born June 2, 1948) is an American actor best known for his role in the television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963, in which he played the protagonist Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the y ...

and Jennifer Leigh Warren. A nationwide search in conjunction with

Westfield Corporation Westfield Corporation was an Australian commercial real estate company and operator of shopping centres. It was founded with the spin-off of the Westfield Group in 2014, where assets in Australia and New Zealand formed the Scentre Group and ...

was carried out to cast the title role. Celebrity judges included

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

. This was the first pantomime seen in California for some time and received positive reviews from the press. The show was repeated in 2011, again at the El Portal Theatre, starring

Fred Willard Frederic Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984); the Christopher Guest mockumentaries ''Wai ...

, with

Shoshana Bean Shoshana E. Bean (born September 1, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, YouTuber, and stage actress. She has released three records and has appeared on many theater cast recordings and film soundtracks. In 2022, Bean received a nomination for ...

as the Fairy Godmother. It again received positive reviews.

Pasadena Playhouse

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

produced the show in 2016. It was directed by

Bonnie Lythgoe Bonita Lythgoe (née Shawe; born 1949) is a British former dancer who, since the 1990s and 2000s, has been the producer and director of various theatre productions, including pantomimes. In 1969, aged 19, Lythgoe auditioned for the BBC's Young G ...

and choreographed by Spencer Liff, with sets by Ian Wilson and costumes by Florencia M. Carrizo.

Roles and principal cast

*Bean played the Fairy Godmother for the December 24 and December 31 performances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinderella Christmas, A Pantomime Pasadena, California