Theatre / Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein)

aka: Rodgers And Hammersteins Cinderella

"All my life, I'll dream of this lovely, lovely night!"

"Impossible things are happening every day!"

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical adaptation of the fairytale. It was originally written and performed live on CBS television in 1957, with Julie Andrews starring in the title role. A 1965 remake, starring Lesley Ann Warren and with a revised script (plus a Cut Song from South Pacific) was rerun well into The '90s. Walt Disney Presents released a film version starring Brandy in 1997.

The 1957 version was given a Screen-to-Stage Adaptation that served as a U.S. community theater staple for years, and occasionally had professional stagings (but never on Broadway). In the wake of the '97 remake, this version was revised for further professional stagings; the licenser now offers both the original version and a '97-based version (known as the "Enchanted Edition") to amateur groups.

This show made its Broadway debut from 2013-2015, with a new book by Douglas Carter Beane and Cut Songs from other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals added to the score. This version adds another villain in the form of Prince Christopher's evil regent Sebastian, who oppresses the poor of the kingdom — and whom Cinderella's stepmother is collaborating with.

Not to be confused with the other musical Cinderella, a Fractured Fairy Tale spin on the fairytale written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which made its West End debut in 2021.

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Tropes:

Tropes shared by multiple versions

• Actually Quite Catchy: The stepfamily, of course, hates Cinderella. However, after the ball, she starts singing "Lovely Night", describing her romantic night with the prince. In all versions except 1965, the stepsisters get swept up in the song and even sing with her, only snapping back to normal when their mother yells at them for taking part.
• Adaptation Name Change: The stepsisters' names changed in each script. In 1957, they were Joy and Portia. In 1965, they changed to Prunella and Esmeralda. In 1997, they became Calliope and Minerva. In the "Enchanted Edition" stage script from 2000, their names are Joy and Grace, and in the 2013 Broadway production they are named Charlotte and Gabrielle.
• Adaptational Slimness: In 1957, Howard Lindsay portrayed King Maximilian with a lampshaded beer belly. The remakes have Walter Pidgeon and Victor Garber play slimmer kings, and both also cut out the song referencing the original's portly figure.
• Adaptational Context Change:
  • "The Prince is Giving a Ball" opened the 1957 version, but the remakes and the Broadway version each moved it to a later spot, to make room for additional songs. Sometimes, "In My Own Little Corner" also occurs before it.
  • At the 1957 ball, "Gavotte" continued over Cinderella and Prince Christopher's Dance of Romance, with "Waltz For a Ball" accompanying multiple couples' dances after "Stepsisters' Lament". In 1965, Cinderella and Christopher danced alone to "Waltz For a Ball" before singing "Ten Minutes Ago". The 1997 version had "Waltz For a Ball" play first for Cinderella and Christopher dancing alone, and again for all the couples who waltz after "Ten Minutes Ago".
• Adaptational Early Appearance: Starting with the 1965 remake, Cinderella meets Prince Christopher before the ball, instead of during it. The relocation of "The Prince is Giving a Ball" also allows his parents to appear before the announcement of the ball.
• Aerith and Bob: See Overly Long Name.
• Bad Bedroom, Bad Life: Cinderella is implied to sleep in the chair she sings about in the song "In My Own Little Corner". Being that she considers it her one little spot in the house that's truly hers, despite it just being a chair in the corner of the house, it shows just how mistreated she is. In the 1965 version, she doesn't sleep in the chair, but sleeps in the cold attic, which explains why she's always sitting by the fire to warm herself.
• Call-Back: In the 1965 and 1997 versions, after Cinderella's stepsisters fail to fit the slipper, Cinderella gets Prince Christopher's attention through circumstances similar to the scene in which they met. In the 1965 version she offers him a drink of water from the well in her yard, in the 1997 version he sees her be almost run down by carriage horses and drop what she's carrying, and in both versions they repeat the same dialogue word-for-word in both scenes.
• Character Development: Particularly in the 1957 and 1997 versions, Cinderella grows from being "as mild and as meek as a mouse" under her stepmother's thumb, to realizing with her Fairy Godmother's help that she needs to do more than wish and dream to Earn Her Happy Ending and taking her future into her own hands. (In the 1957 version going back to the palace by herself in her rags and ultimately trying on the slipper there, in the 1997 version packing a bag to run away and being found in the yard by the prince just as she's leaving.) The 2000 "Enchanted Edition" stage script also highlights this, as she makes a plan to get herself to the ball without magic – for which the Fairy Godmother rewards her by providing magic after all – and in the end deliberately steps forward against her Stepmother's orders to ask to try on the slipper.
• Character Tics: In the 1965 and 1997 versions, besides their obnoxious personalities, each stepsister has a specific physical tic or habit that their mother tries but fails to train out of them. In the 1965 version, Prunella's knee creaks and Esmeralda bats her eyes, while in the 1997 version, Minerva gets itchy when she's nervous and Calliope snorts when she laughs.
• Charm Point: "Stepsisters' Lament" is a song about Cinderella's two stepsisters bemoaning the prince's attraction to Cinderella and wondering just what it is he sees in her. They describe her possible charm points (her daintiness, pale skin, long neck, pink cheeks, and gentleness) in unflattering ways before exasperatedly chanting "What's the matter with the man?"
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: In 1957 and 1965, the Fairy Godmother is enabled to send Cinderella to the ball because the latter wishes for it hard enough.
• Crowd Song: "The Prince is Giving a Ball".
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: The 1965 and 1997 versions have Cinderella recall her father as a kind and loving man whom she was clearly close to.
• Decon-Recon Switch: The whole point of the song Impossible, referencing at first how completely and utterly ridiculous the whole plot of Cinderella is at the point where the Fairy Godmother arrives... before the Fairy Godmother turns it around and declares "Impossible things are happening every day...", and then starts to do the magic...
• Disappeared Dad:
  • It's made pretty clear that Cinderella's father is dead. But we never learn where her mother went. (She's probably dead too.)
  • And the Prince's parents are both dead in the 2013 version, opening up an opportunity for villains to seize power.
  • Even the stepsisters are without their father, one way or another.
• Domestic Abuse: The stepmother does this to Cinderella, but she eventually takes a level in kindness in the 1957 version.
• Double Entendre: The 1957 and 1965 versions include a scene of Cinderella imagining acting "coy and flirtatious" towards Prince Christopher, and reminding him not to "say such things."
• Easily Forgiven: The stepmother and her daughters rarely get punished in any incarnation, including the Broadway show...the sole exception being the 90's film where they are left outside the gate at Cinderella's wedding, implying they do not get to share in her happy ending. Somewhat justified in that this is being faithful to Perrault's version of the story. The 60's version is also a little better about this; upon Cinderella's reveal, the stepmother and stepsisters bow to her of their own volition and are later seen processing into the palace among the royal family.
• Fairy Godmother: It's an adaptation of Cinderella after all. It was either that or a magical tree with the power to grant wishes, and this musical is based on Perrault's version, not the Brothers Grimm's version.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: In the TV versions, Cinderella and Prince Christopher share 2-3 onscreen interactions before they get married. Enforced in the 1997 remake, in which the Fairy Godmother conjures up the couple's wedding outfits and ceremony right after Cinderella puts on the glass slipper.
• Garden of Love: Cinderella and Prince Christopher spend time in the castle's garden getting to know each other, then share a kiss.
• The Girl Who Fits This Slipper: But of course. This is the story that named that trope, after all. Although the TV versions also have Christopher take a good look at Cinderella's face before he declares her the right woman.
• Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Cinderella is a classic ingenue, but during "In My Own Little Corner," in addition to such girly fantasies as being a Princess Classic, an opera singer or a mermaid, she also enjoys imagining herself as a huntress on an African safari. In the 1997 version, she even uses her broom as a pretend gun and canoe paddle.
• Gorgeous Garment Generation: Part and parcel of the Fairy Godmother's powers; in some versions she performs this on herself and/or Prince Christopher in addition to Cinderella.
• "I Am" Song / "I Want" Song: "In My Own Little Corner" and its reprise, respectively. This is partly a deconstruction of an "I Want" Song, since it is about how Cinderella is trying to be content in her life already by using her imagination. But at the same time, her fantasies of different lives show her yearning for something better, especially in the reprise when she imagines herself at the ball.
• In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: The title cards and bumpers for the remakes read, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella", with the '57 version also referred to as such in its end credits and publicity materials^note the '57 opening title card and bumpers refer to the musical as simply, Cinderella, but the full main title reel shows R&H's names before that of the production.
• The Ingenue: Guess who?
• Let's Duet: At the ball, Cinderella and Prince Christopher sing "Ten Minutes Ago" while dancing, and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" when they share their First Kiss.
• Love at First Sight: Discussed when Cinderella and Prince Christopher sing about how they met and fell in love "Ten Minutes Ago". (Although, in the 1965 and 1997 versions, the ball marks the second time they meet.)
• Make a Wish: Cinderella's wish to go to the ball naturally summons her Fairy Godmother to help her, with the 1957 and '97 versions even having her wish aloud before the Godmother appears.
• Marry for Love: Prince Christopher insists on choosing his bride himself.
• Meaningful Name: Pointed out in the 1965 and 1997 versions. Cinderella explains that she got her name from sitting in the cinders.
  Prince Christopher ('97): "Ohh. Cinderella."
• Miss Imagination: Cinderella's habitual coping strategy, as explored in "In My Own Little Corner." This trait also turns the '57 and '13 versions into some of the few Cinderella stories in which Cinderella helps the Fairy Godmother figure out how to send her to the ball, when Cinderella shares a fantasy of a pumpkin and some mice changing into a horse-drawn carriage, which whisks her to the castle.
• The Musical: Another musical retelling.
• No Name Given: The fairy godmother and the stepmother. The Stepmother is "Beulla" in the "old community theatre" version, though it's an All There in the Script.
• Overly Long Name: Prince Christopher Rupert Windemere Vladimir Carl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman (Herman?) Herman. Gregory James, son of Her Majesty Queen Constantina Charlotte Ermintrude Guinevere Maisie (Maisie?) Maisie! Marguerite Ann and His Majesty King Maximillian Godfrey Ladislaus Leopold Sydney (Sydney?) SYDNEY! Frederick John.

• Protagonist Title: Cinderella's name is also the title of the musical.
• Rhyming with Itself: "A Lovely Night" rhymes "night," "prince," and "you" with themselves.

• Spectacular Spinning:
  • Lesley Ann Warren and Brandy spin during their respective dress transformation scenes.
    Fairy Godmother ('97): Spin around, don't make me do all the work!
  • Julie Andrews did not spin in the live 1957 version because she acquired her ballgown in between scene changes.
  • In the 2013 Broadway performance, Laura Osnes spins as her dress "magically" appears.
• Suddenly Speaking: Sometimes the rat who becomes Cinderella's footman gains the ability to speak English during his transformation.
• Teleportation: The Fairy Godmother can arrive out of thin air.
• Triumphant Reprise: "Impossible" has a pessimistic and cynical first half, but also a part meant to create a glimmer of hope for Cinderella's dreams. After the Fairy Godmother grants Cinderella's wish to go to the ball, the two of them sing "It's Possible," which boasts more optimistic lyrics. It sounds especially triumphant in the 1997 version.
• Villain Song: "Stepsisters' Lament".
• What Does He See in Her?: "The Stepsisters' Lament.'' The twist of course is that the ugly stepsisters can't figure out why the prince would turn them down for the much more attractive Cinderella.
  Oh, why would a fellow want a girl like her,
  A girl who's merely lovely,
  Why can't a fellow ever once prefer
  A girl who's merely me?
• When the Clock Strikes Twelve: Obviously. As with The Girl Who Fits This Slipper, this is the Trope Namer. In the 1997 version, Cinderella expresses disappointment at having such a tight curfew. The Fairy Godmother then tells her that she doesn't make the rules about how long her magic can last.

The original musical

• Adipose Rex:
  King: "I want the wine of my country! The wine of my country is beer!"
  Queen: Obviously.
• All Women Are Lustful: Stepsister Portia. She's even seen flirting with someone during Cinderella's wedding.
• Ambiguous Time Period: While the remakes are clearly set in fairy tale kingdoms, the original could very easily be set in the '50's, or possibly in the Edwardian era, a la My Fair Lady. The godmother telling Cinderella she would be better off as a hired servant makes it very likely that the piece is not set in pre-modern Europe. And get a load of that chic, form-fitting, Audrey-Hepburn-worthy number Cinderella wears at the ball.
• Annoying Laugh: Stepsister Portia has an obnoxious nasal laugh that almost always ends with a snort.
• Award-Bait Song: "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" got some pushes when Oscar Hammerstein II recited it on The Ed Sullivan Show, before Cinderella aired, and when the telecast played it over the end credits. (The 1965 remake also plays this song over the end titles.)
• Bait-and-Switch: After the stepsisters fail to fit the slipper, the Fairy Godmother directs the messenger to look upstairs in search of Cinderella, making us think Cinderella will try on the slipper then and there. But then the messenger comes back down and says that there's no one there: as it turns out, Cinderella has run away from home. When the messenger goes back to the palace, it's there that he finds her secretly watching the Prince from the garden.
• Beta Couple: The king and queen.
• Covers Always Lie: Some publicity stills◊ show Cinderella wearing a dress with a much bigger skirt than in the actual musical. The dress was difficult for changing as well as Julie Andrews finding it hard to dance in.
• Creative Closing Credits: As each cast member's name appears in the end credits, he or she gives blessings to the newlywed Cinderella and Christopher.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: The day after the ball, Cinderella decides to go visit Prince Christopher herself instead of wait for him to return.
• First-Name Basis: Prince Christopher asks Cinderella to call him "Christopher" as opposed to "your majesty" or his Overly Long Name.
• Ironic Name: Joy is a sourpuss and Portia isn't nearly as wise as the character in The Merchant of Venice that she's named after.
• Letting Her Hair Down: Averted. Cinderella starts out with a loose ponytail and goes to the ball with a Prim and Proper Bun.
• Love at First Sight: Played absolutely straight. Jon Cypher looks like the floor's just dropped out from underneath him. In true musical fashion, the two leads proceed to sing about it in "Ten Minutes Ago."
  Ten minutes ago I saw you, I looked up when you came through the door - my head started reeling, you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor! Ten minutes ago I met you, and we murmured our 'how do you do's' - I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news!
• Magical Nanny: Sort of. In this version the fairy godmother really is Cinderella's godmother. She just hasn't told her she's a fairy yet.
• Of Corset Hurts: At one point in "The Prince is Giving a Ball," an ambitious mother is shown tying a tight corset onto her daughter, instructing her "Pull in your little diaphragm!"
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The viewers never actually see Cinderella's dress transform: The scene cuts from Cinderella in rags, to the Godmother twirling her baton-like Magic Wand, to Cinderella in a fancy robe. During the following commercial break, Julie Andrews went backstage to don her actual ballgown.
• Overly Long Gag: Count how many times Cinderella is told to close the window. In the same scene.
• Prim and Proper Bun: Cinderella after the transformation.
• Product Displacement: The removal of commercials from the DVD brings the end credits' instrumental of "A Lovely Night" to a rather sudden end when the CBS Vanity Plate appears.
• Really 700 Years Old: Rodgers had 30 year-old Edie Adams portray the centuries-old Fairy Godmother.
• Shown Their Work: Practically the only adaption of Perrault's Cinderella to get right that the Fairy Godmother is Cinderella's literal godmother, whom Cinderella has known since childhood (though not knowing that she's a fairy until the night of the ball).
• Sidetracked by the Analogy:
  Cinderella: I wish that by some kind of magic, or abracadabra, or fol-de-rol and fiddle-dee-dee that all the kind hearts in the world will put their heads together...
  Godmother: All the kind hearts put their heads together?
  Cinderella: Oh, you know what I mean.
• Took a Level in Kindness: A humorously cynical example: the ending has the Stepmother affectionately fawning over Cinderella and making Joy and Portia wait on her as she prepares for her wedding to the Prince.
• Trickster Mentor: The Fairy Godmother masquerades at first as a skeptical, no-nonsense human godmother who good-naturedly scoffs at Cinderella's dreams, until Cinderella makes it clear that she won't give up her impossible hopes, at which point she reveals her true magical nature. Later, she encourages a palace guard to arrest Cinderella, claiming she must be plotting to "capture the Prince," and then urges him to try the glass slipper on Cinderella "as a joke."

The 1965 remake

• Adaptational Badass: At the beginning, instead of coming back from studies abroad as in the 1957 version, Prince Christopher comes back from a quest in which he slew dragons, outwitted evil magicians, and rescued several princesses (with whom he unfortunately had No Sparks).
• Adaptational Context Change:
  • In the original 1957 version "The Prince is Giving a Ball" is the opening number, before any of the main characters are introduced. In this version, and all future versions of the musical, the main characters are introduced first, and then "The Prince is Giving a Ball" takes place.
  • The Fairy Godmother originally recited "Fol-De-Rol" to teach Cinderella that if she does nothing but wish and dream, she won't earn her happy ending. In the '65 version, the Fairy Godmother recites it to remind Cinderella not to become discouraged by cynics who dismiss wishing and dreaming as completely worthless. (The '97 version later restored the original context.)
  • This extends into the song "Impossible" too. In the original '57 version, the Godmother hasn't revealed yet that she's a fairy, and sings the song in response to Cinderella wishing that a pumpkin could turn into a coach, mice into horses, etc., as if she were genuinely telling her that her dream is impossible... until the last line "...impossible things are happening every day." In this version, she's the one who offers Cinderella a pumpkin as a coach, mice to become horses, etc., and sings "Impossible" to put Cinderella's doubts at ease. (The '97 version takes a third option and has the Godmother first tell Cinderella that just wishing isn't enough, but then sing the song to assure her that this doesn't mean her wishes can't come true.)
  • The Prince's reprise of "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" is sung before the search for The Girl Who Fits This Slipper, when in the original '57 version it's sung after the seemingly fruitless search, just before Cinderella is found. (The subsequent versions all keep this change too.)
• Anachronism Stew: Even though this version has a medieval setting, the dances at the ball are still a gavotte and a waltz, which originated in the 17th and late 18th centuries, respectively.
• And Starring: From the main titles:
  Also Starring: Stuart Damon^* Prince Christopher
  Co-Starring: Pat Carroll^* Prunella and Barbara Ruick^* Esmeralda
  And Introducing: Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella
• Book Ends: The musical begins with a gate opening and ends with it closing.
• Character Tics: Stepsister Esmeralda bats her eyes too much for her mother's or the prince's liking, while stepsister Prunella's knee creaks whenever she bends it while dancing or curtseying.
• Colour-Coded for Your Convenience:
  • The Prince dances with several women in brightly colored gowns, but he and Cinderella are the only two at the ball wearing white. When they dance together, it helps them to stand out in the crowd of jewel-tone dresses and men's tights.
  • The ugly stepsisters and stepmother wear very flashy gowns of metallic brocade to the ball, whereas the other attendants wear solid, jewel-tone outfits.
• Color-Coded Patrician: Overlaps with The Rich Have White Stuff. Prince Christopher is the only dancer at the ball wearing white... until Cinderella shows up in her magically conjured gown. The king and queen also wear coordinated outfits with ermine trim, though theirs are pink and red with ermine trim.
• Darker and Edgier: The stepmother and stepsisters are portrayed as genuinely abusive towards Cinderella, instead of being pure comic relief like in the 50's and 90's version, although they still have funny moments here and there. At one point, Cinderella even says that her stepmother will beat her if she disobeys her.
• Distant Duet: As the Prince sings his reprise of "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" the morning after the ball, Cinderella's disembodied voice joins him.
• Disneyfication: The film was intended to be more of a straightforward fairy tale than the original, which was more of an Affectionate Parody. Cinderella even rides a carriage that looks like the one Disney's Cinderella rode.
• Ermine Cape Effect: The king and queen wear gowns, capes, and robes trimmed with ermine in most of their appearances. Even Christopher wears a fancy, impractical suit of clothes when he returns from adventuring.
• Fat and Skinny: The stepsisters, Prunella (fat) and Esmeralda (skinny). Esmeralda even uses this to insult Prunella when they bicker in their introductory scene.
• The Girl Who Fits This Slipper: Averted; the prince recognizes Cinderella, then has her try on the shoe.
• "I Want" Song: Prince Christopher's "Loneliness of Evening", originally a Cut Song from South Pacific.
• Karmic Jackpot: In this version, Cinderella's kindness is emphasized when she gives a stranger some water; the stranger turns out to be the prince. Presumably, her mysterious familiarity is what attracts the prince at the ball. Later, when he goes to Cinderella's cottage, she offers him water a second time, leading him to finally realize who she is.
• Leitmotif: The fairy godmother has one.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Prince Christopher had apparently returned from fighting dragons and rescuing princesses.
• Pretty in Mink: Cinderella's ballgown is trimmed with ermine, coordinating her with the royal family.
• Setting Update: Inverted. Unlike the 1957 original, which seems to take place some time in the first half of the 20th century, or the 1997 remake and 2013 stage version, which both opt for a 19th century setting a la the Disney film, this version is clearly set in the Middle Ages.
• Something Only They Would Say: Whether Cinderella is wearing rags or a ballgown, Prince Christopher seems to recognize her when she returns his thank-you's with, "You are most kindly welcome."
• White Stallion: Prince Christopher rides a white horse, which also carries Cinderella through town on her wedding day.
• Your Mind Makes It Real: Unlike in the 1957 and 1997 with their Really 700 Years Old Fairy Godmothers, in this version the Fairy Godmother explains that she's made of Cinderella's most beautiful dreams and wishes.

The 1997 version

Has its own page.

The 2013 version

• Adaptational Attractiveness: Gabrielle, the older stepsister, is actually very pretty once she gets rid of her ridiculous puffy dress and Bavarian-pretzel hairstyle, and has a suitor in Jean-Michel. Gabrielle is also considered attractive enough for Sebastian and Madame to believe she has a real shot with Prince Topher and hooking the two of them up is the main impetus for their scheme. Unfortunately, they have No Sparks.
• Adaptational Context Change: A slight one for "Stepsisters' Lament," which here becomes "Stepsister's Lament" (note the changed apostrophe): in previous versions, it's a duet for the two stepsisters, but here, since Gabrielle is an Adaptational Nice Girl, has her own love interest and doesn't want to marry the Prince, the song is sung by a chorus of jealous maidens led by the other stepsister, Charlotte.
• All-Loving Hero: Ella.
• Beta Couple: Gabrielle and Jean-Michel.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: Madame (the stepmother) does not approve of Jean-Michel, because he's poorer than they are and a social activist, and she has social-climbing aspirations. In fact, she disapproves so much that when she catches Gabrielle trying to sneak out with him, she kicks Gabrielle out of the house.
• Death by Adaptation: Both of Topher's parents are dead in this version and he has apparently been raised by Sebastian from a young age.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Topher.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: It's revealed that the Fairy Godmother doesn't give out her magic freely. Ella earned it by being kind and friendly to "Crazy Marie" aka the Godmother in disguise. Similarly, she doesn't just go to the ball and the banquet to win over the Prince but as an opportunity to inform Topher about the injustices in the kingdom.
• Easily Forgiven: Ella prettily readily forgives Madame and Charlotte, however, this makes sense since being kind is the moral of the story.
• Evil Chancellor: Sebastian to Prince Topher. He was supposed to make sure Topher was ready to be a good, strong king, but instead he keeps him almost completely in the dark and is running the kingdom in his name. Poorly.
• Expy: Gabrielle is similar to Anastasia Tremaine and Jacqueline de Ghent as they are all the nice stepsisters of their respective families and they fall in love with lower-class men.
• Gold Digger: This was Madame, and she believes her daughters should follow her example.
  Madame: I married your father for love—he died, I cried. I married Cinderella's father for money—he died, I got a house.
• Heel–Face Turn: When the Prince finally starts to assert his power and becomes less dependent on Sebastian, some productions show Sebastian warmly welcoming Jean-Michel into his position.
• Kick the Dog: Madame gets a lot.
• Non-Human Sidekick: Ella is Friend to All Living Things and has two sidekicks (a fox and a raccoon). Subverted in that they briefly become human to be her footmen for the ball.
• Old Beggar Test: The Fairy Godmother first appears disguised as a strange old woman in rags called "Crazy Marie." When she unveils her true self, she explains that she's everyone's Fairy Godmother, not just Cinderella's, but only Cinderella has ever been kind to her.
• Pet the Dog: The whole step-family gets one when they perform "A Lovely Night" with Ella. Only Gabrielle stays nice afterwards though.
• Puppet King: Topher starts out as a Puppet Prince—he just signs off on whatever Sebastian asks him to without reading it. At one point, he even hands over his ring of state so Sebastian can get things done more efficiently.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Topher's arc is going from a Puppet King to this, with Ella and Jean-Michel's help.
• Shout-Out:
  • There are many references to the 1955 film The Glass Slipper, notably Crazy Marie is an Expy of Mrs. Tocquet.
  • The plot is also very similar to the film version of Ella Enchanted, with the Prince being an orphan Puppet King who is unaware that his Evil Chancellor is stealing lands and rights from the people until Ella opens his eyes to the situation.
• Soapbox Sadie: Jean-Michel.
• Took a Level in Kindness: On a meta-level, this happens with Gabrielle, who's not wicked in any sense of the word—rather, she's too shy to stand up to her mother and older sister's bullying. After "A Lovely Night," she becomes Cinderella's Secret-Keeper regarding the ball, and the two happily call each other "sisters" for the first time.
• Wham Shot: At midnight at the ball, Ella almost loses a glass slipper, but she picks it up before Topher can get it, making this the first time Cinderella doesn't ACCIDENTALLY lose one of her glass slippers. Instead, after the banquet Topher later hosts in order to see her again, she leaves a slipper behind deliberately as a Calling Card.

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"Do I want you because you're wonderful,
Or are you wonderful because I want you?
Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream
Or are you really as beautiful as you seem?"