When you own the rights to the script and songs, I suppose you can do what you will with them. Some shows begin life one way, but due to new circumstances, need to be modified. The Script and Songs may be fine in the original script, but since the new production has an unusual "stage" situation or has some new talented actor join the cast, modifications are welcome to make the show better. "See the Beauty All Around You" was added to to "A Successor to the Throne" for the Emperor to sing with his counselors.
Over the years, I have added songs and scenes to showcase talented actors. "Keep and Open Mind" was added to "The Tale of Chicken Licken" to make the Fox a more sympathetic character. I have rewritten scenes to fit awkward stage situations. I have added new characters and given them lines just because I wanted every child to get some kind of featured part. Come to find out, that is not unusual at all.
Last fall I went to see my daughter in a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella." That production was very different from other stage productions I have seen of the same show. It had basically the same characters, although the step sisters had different names and different motivations. It had the same main songs plus a few different ones (also written by Rodgers and Hammerstein). Yet some of the scenes were very new to me.
Apparently, there are four very different, licensable theatrical scripts available to be produced of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."
My curiosity was peaked.
On YouTube I ran across a video of the very first production of the R and H "Cinderella." It was a Broadway-styled production presented for CBS in 1957 on LIVE television. It starred Julie Andrews as Cinderella with other famous actors in the main roles. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote it specifically for TV.
Television was a fairly new vehicle in those days. Only since 1955 was it mainstream enough for half of the families in the United States to even have one. It must have been quite a feat for the director to plan all of those set pieces, the choreography and blocking, the live music and sound, the lighting, and the camera angles to work for a live show. To our modern eyes and ears, this production seems rather primitive. But in that time, I'm sure they used the most up-to-date techniques available. Magic really couldn't happen, so they just didn't show any. (We are so used to AI and CG these days. We expect magic!)
Later remakes of "Cinderella" were also made for television, but they were obviously pre-filmed, used color, used magical sequences, and used more and different characters, scenes, and songs. "Cinderella" didn't make it to the Broadway stage until 2013.
Well, of the four scripts available, I can't say I like one more than the others. Although I am still a fan of Richard Rodgers' music, I get the feeling that Oscar Hammerstein was never really happy with this show or he would have created one definitive script. He was probably not as comfortable with fantasy as he was with reality. His other shows like "Oklahoma," "Carousel," "South Pacific," "King and I," and "Flower Drum Song" all dealt with weightier subjects. I don't believe the stage versions of these shows have four different licensable versions.
Apparently, there are four very different, licensable theatrical scripts available to be produced of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."
My curiosity was peaked.
On YouTube I ran across a video of the very first production of the R and H "Cinderella." It was a Broadway-styled production presented for CBS in 1957 on LIVE television. It starred Julie Andrews as Cinderella with other famous actors in the main roles. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote it specifically for TV.
Television was a fairly new vehicle in those days. Only since 1955 was it mainstream enough for half of the families in the United States to even have one. It must have been quite a feat for the director to plan all of those set pieces, the choreography and blocking, the live music and sound, the lighting, and the camera angles to work for a live show. To our modern eyes and ears, this production seems rather primitive. But in that time, I'm sure they used the most up-to-date techniques available. Magic really couldn't happen, so they just didn't show any. (We are so used to AI and CG these days. We expect magic!)
Later remakes of "Cinderella" were also made for television, but they were obviously pre-filmed, used color, used magical sequences, and used more and different characters, scenes, and songs. "Cinderella" didn't make it to the Broadway stage until 2013.
Well, of the four scripts available, I can't say I like one more than the others. Although I am still a fan of Richard Rodgers' music, I get the feeling that Oscar Hammerstein was never really happy with this show or he would have created one definitive script. He was probably not as comfortable with fantasy as he was with reality. His other shows like "Oklahoma," "Carousel," "South Pacific," "King and I," and "Flower Drum Song" all dealt with weightier subjects. I don't believe the stage versions of these shows have four different licensable versions.
It's safe to say, though, that I do feel validated in modifying my scripts to meet current needs.
Here's another song I added to a show. This gave the Kamikazi Wind Spirit the message song of the whole show.
"Hero" from "Momotaro."
Here's another song I added to a show. This gave the Kamikazi Wind Spirit the message song of the whole show.
"Hero" from "Momotaro."
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