In February 2020, Opera Australia and the Gordon Frost Organisation announced plans to co-produce Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, having previously staged the legendary duo’s musicals The King And I and South Pacific. At that point venues, dates and casting were still to be announced. Then COVID happened.

Today, they announced that the fairytale musical will open at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre in November 2021. It will be the first time that the show has been staged professionally in Australia. The Australian premiere is being supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.

Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes in the original Broadway cast of Cinderella. Photograph © Carol Rosegg

The news about Cinderella follows hot on the heels of last week’s announcement that OA is joining forces with the Really Useful Group to stage Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera at the Sydney Opera House in September.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (also known simply as Cinderella) was written for television. Featuring songs including In My Own Little Corner, Impossible; It’s Possible, Ten Minutes Ago and Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?, it debuted in 1957...