Bad Cinderella

After an even colder day than yesterday, and after two lost hours at a time share presentation (a fair exchange for a couple of 100 dollars saved on the hotel), we had a fun start of the night at Elsie‘s rooftop and are now off to see „Bad Cinderella.“ I was fortunate enough to see the London version, and am looking forward to the Broadway version.

Here is what ChatGPT thinks about the show. Spoiler alert. It is all wrong!

“Bad Cinderella” is a musical written by the legendary British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist David Zippel. It is a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella, with a fresh take on the story and memorable new songs. The musical premiered in London’s West End in 2013 and has since been performed all over the world.
ChatGPT, February 2023

Well, “all over the world” is wrong given that Broadway is the only the second location, and the closing in London in 2022 after a Covid- delayed premiere in 2021 caused quite down controversy. But here is the killer for me, ChatGPT literally makes up songs that sound right but are not in the musical:

"Cinderella" features a dazzling score by Lloyd Webber, including songs like "The Prince is Giving a Ball," "Me, Who Dares to Be Different," and "A Magical Night."

None of these are in the actual musical, but they very well may be.

Ok, let’s see it!

The reference to dead Prince Charming‘s brother as spare (hello Prince Harry) was quite funny and got some chuckles. During the Cinderella‘s transformation, her sacrifice of the last thing she had from her Mom to become beautiful hurt just like it in London. Somehow its eventual recovery through love felt more „round“ to me than in London.

Linedy Genao delivered a powerhouse performance and triggered the well deserved standing ovation during the curtain call. Talk about a perfect casting for this role!