Every day is opening night.

“RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA” STARRING BRANDY AND WHITNEY HOUSTON CELEBRATES STREAMING PREMIERE WITH LIVE VIEWING PARTY THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Press Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Aaron Meier
rick@omdkc.com / aaron@omdkc.com
212 695 7400

Concord Theatricals:
Imogen Lloyd Webber
press.theatricals@concord.com
212 598 2265

Disney+:
Patrick O’Neil
Patrick.oneil@disney.com
952 381 4363

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

“RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA”
STARRING
BRANDY
AND
WHITNEY HOUSTON

CELEBRATES STREAMING PREMIERE ON DISNEY+
WITH LIVE VIEWING PARTY HOSTED BY
THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN ORGANIZATION
AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12 AT 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

TO DOWNLOAD HI-RES ART, CLICK HERE

New York, NY (February 8, 2021) – Concord Theatricals, on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and in partnership with Entertainment Weekly, announce a live viewing party of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Friday, February 12 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT. Streaming exclusively on Disney+, the legendary 1997 televised movie musical stars Brandy in the title role and Whitney Houston as “Fairy Godmother,” alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban, Veanne Cox and Jason Alexander.

Viewers can follow along with the Rodgers & Hammerstein Twitter and Instagram, Cinderella Twitter and Instagram, and Entertainment Weekly Twitter for trivia and fun facts throughout the event, as well as a chance to win some great prizes. Viewers are encouraged to use #Cinderella1997 on social media to join the watch party!

Prior to the watch party, fans can share their excitement by using the official Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella AR filter on Instagram here.

Premiering on November 2, 1997 to 60 million viewers as a program for “The Wonderful World of Disney” series on ABC, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella became an instant fan favorite, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and earning seven Emmy Award nominations. Celebrated for its diverse representation, grand musical numbers and unforgettable song book, the film features an incredible array of beloved songs by the iconic songwriting duo of Rodgers & Hammerstein, including “Impossible,” “In My Own Little Corner,” “Ten Minutes Ago,” “A Lovely Night,” “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” and more. The television special was directed by Robert Iscove, with a teleplay by Robert L. Freedman and choregraphy by Rob Marshall. Whitney Houston, Debra Martin Chase, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron served as Executive Producers. Chris Montan was a Producer and Robyn Crawford was an Associate Producer.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella was originally presented on television in 1957, and was the only musical written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for the medium. Starring a 21-year-old Julie Andrews, on a brief hiatus from her starring role in My Fair Lady on Broadway, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella was at the time the most widely viewed program in the history of television, drawing an astonishing 107 million viewers. Its recreation in 1965, starring Lesley Ann Warren, was no less successful in transporting a new generation to the miraculous kingdom of “Dreams Come True,” and the second remake in 1997 set a new standard for representation and diversity in musicals. In 2013, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella finally made it to Broadway, with Laura Osnes in the title role.

The marriage of music, lyrics and story in Cinderella exemplified Rodgers & Hammerstein’s artistic philosophy; all elements held together integrally to illuminate the characters. As Rodgers explained, “Although a few of its songs have become popular, our score for Cinderella is another example of what theater music is really about. No matter what the medium, a score is more than a collection of individual songs. It is, or should be, a cohesive entity whose word and music are believable expressions of the characters singing them… like a symphony, concerto, or opera, some portions have greater appeal than others, but it is the work as a whole that makes the overall impression.”

Stock and amateur rights for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella are represented by Concord Theatricals.

BIOGRAPHIES

CONCORD THEATRICALS is the world’s most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. Our unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Ken Ludwig, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder, and August Wilson. We are the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production. www.concordtheatricals.com

RICHARD RODGERS AND OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II. After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (Composer, 1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Librettist/Lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American musical theater. Prior to joining forces, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on musical comedies that epitomized wit and sophistication (Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Babes In Arms and more), while Hammerstein brought new life to operetta and created the classic Show Boat with Jerome Kern. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, introduced an integrated form that became known as “the musical play.” Their shows that followed included Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals have earned Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer and Olivier Awards. The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is a Concord Company, www.concord.com.

DISNEY+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. As part of Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution segment, Disney+ is available on most internet-connected devices and offers commercial-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. Alongside unprecedented access to Disney’s incredible library of film and television entertainment, the service is also the exclusive streaming home for the latest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported) and ESPN+. Visit www.disneyplus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.

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