Released on December 3rd, this DVD release consists of Morning Musume's performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. It consists of two DVDs (Act I and Act II), both about 80 minutes in length.
I have always enjoyed this musical, so combining it with one of my favorite music groups was like a dream. Definitely more light-hearted and fun than their last play, Ribbon no Kishi, a rather dark story about a crossdressing princess. It made you feel good the whole way, even if you couldn't understand the dialogue. However, all you have to do is dig up the 1997 Disney (or other) version and you should be mostly set.
The costumes are stunning (Cinderella's ballgown was particularly beautiful), colorful and glittery under the stage lights. I was mesmerized and wished I could be performing with them, just so I could wear one of the dresses for awhile.
I think some of the humor was probably lost on Japanese audiences (like the door that wouldn't close, and the king's pants), as I hardly heard them laugh at all. It was surreal listening to the songs I'm used to being sung in Japanese, and was certainly a learning experience.
All of the girls did a good job, Ai was particularly excellent (she could even cry on cue). To note, the king seriously creeped me out. "He" (the actor behind the character was a woman) was like The Burger King's even creepier brother. I hated the hair! And he really should've invested in a royal belt or special shampoo or something ;)
I hope they do another musical like this again, because it really suited them. Actually, as I was watching them fly about on wires I thought of Peter Pan for some reason.
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