The Villain of Broadway’s Cinderella-Britney Spears Musical Mashup Never Appears Onstage

In the new musical “Once Upon a One More Time,” a bevy of beautiful young princesses is ordered about like pawns on a Disney chess board by a preening, menacing misogynist called the Narrator, played to the hilt by the magnificent British actor Adam Godley. Yet it could be argued that the real villain informing this show, a vehicle for the hits of Britney Spears, never appears onstage, or is even referenced in the script.That would be Ms. Spears’s father, James Parnell Spears. The pop star was only 16 and under her parents’ supervision when her highly suggestive breakthrough single and video, “…Baby One More Time,” were released. Ms. Spears was later placed in a conservatorship, eventually voided in court, in which her father could control her professional and personal choices. Mr. Spears, for his part, claimed to be acting in his daughter’s best interest.To whatever extent this musical’s librettist, John Hartmere, was inspired by Ms. Spears’s own journey, it’s impossible to watch the heroine of “One More Time,” a Cinderella who is repeatedly patronized and manipulated by men, without thinking of Ms. Spears’ fraught relationship with her father.This parallel is by far the most fascinating aspect of Broadway’s latest jukebox offering, which, like last season’s “& Juliet,” attempts to mix high camp with lite feminism and a smorgasbord of bubble-gum pop confections. It happens that one of my own favorite singles by Ms. Spears, the tender ballad “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman,” was actually featured in “& Juliet,” but isn’t included here. Even Loren Elstein’s candy-colored costumes and Anna Fleischle’s whimsical scenic design for “One More Time” may evoke memories of that recent predecessor, or of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rather less well-received “Bad Cinderella.”“One More Time” nonetheless distinguishes itself with a few assets, among them winning performances. In addition to Mr. Godley, the cast includes the fetching Briga Heelan as Cinderella; the leading lady has an appealingly quirky delivery — her nasal speaking voice can suggest a cartoon character sprung to life — that makes her heroine’s evolution from nervous, deferential maiden to a more curious, confident young woman convincing.Justin Guarini lends comic punch as a prince who’s neither as valiant nor as faithful as the narrator’s text makes him out to be, and Jennifer Simard has a witty, if occasionally overzealous, turn as Cinderella’s stepmother. Brooke Dillman adds more zest as the Original Fairy Godmother, or O.F.G. in modern parlance, who introduces Cinderella and her fellow princesses to the writing of Betty Friedan in hopes that they’ll question the paths the Narrator has laid out for them.The true heroes of this production are director/choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid, whose previous credits range from theater to music video and the television series “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars.” For this show, the Madrids have provided a succession of fluid, exuberant dance numbers, full of sinuous and athletic moves that allow ensemble members to shine as brightly as the principals, if not more so.Mr. Hartmere’s conceit, involving a young reader who follows the princesses as they evolve, is clever enough by the standards of these affairs, and his book boasts a beneficent spirit, so that even the more villainous characters don’t prove irredeemable. If the overall effect is still, essentially, that of a Britney Spears tribute concert, that won’t likely deter her fans. Given the ticket prices that are making it increasingly tough to see actual pop stars in live performance, this might even be a better deal.

The Villain of Broadway’s Cinderella-Britney Spears Musical Mashup Never Appears Onstage

The Villain of Broadway’s Cinderella-Britney Spears Musical Mashup Never Appears Onstage

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