Cinderella

Cinderella is an ancient children's story much used for stage and other presentation over the ages.

The original text

Apparently first written up in China, it has become famous across the globe, in a variety of forms, including the fables of Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, numerous stage versions , the films of Walt Disney, and so on.

For more on the various versions, see for example online sources such as "Cinderella" in Wikipedia[1], and the wonderful list of Plays about Cinderella on the TheatreHistory.com website[2].)

A number of versions of Cinderella on Ice have also been done over the years.

South African translations and adaptations

A British pantomime version used in South Africa during the 19th century was the 1878 Drury Lane pantomime, written by E.L. Blanchard.

A British adaptation also used in South Africa is the 1944 musical The Glass Slipper by Harry and Eleanor Farjeon (see The Glass Slipper).

Often adapted locally as a pantomime version , inter alia by Nicholas Ellenbogen, John Moss, Janice Honeyman, Jerry Nicholls, Rick Everett, Steven Stead,

Adapted as an operetta by Geoffrey Tansley

Translated and adapted into Afrikaans as Aspoestertjie by Tine Balder and Francesca Bantock.

Translated and adapted into Afrikaans as Aspoestertjie, a children’s production by Pieter A. Venter.

Translated and adapted into Afrikaans as a musical for juniors by Fransie Prinsloo and Elmarie Maree.

Performance history in South Africa

1882: A Christmas pantomime version was performed by the Mabel Hayes Company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town. F.C.L. Bosman (1980, p.509) suggests it may have been the 1864 pantomime version by E.L. Blanchard.

1950: African Theatres’ Christmas pantomime, starring British comedian Tommy Trinder[3] was performed at His Majesty's Theatre in December.

1959-60: The Glass Slipper produced jointly by National Theatre Organisation, the Johannesburg Reps and the Children's Theatre. *

1971: The Quibell Brothers presented Jerry Nicholls's production at the Three Arts Theatre in December 1971 starring Joyce Bradley as the Fairy Godmother and Diane Cahil as Cinderella.

1974: John Moss wrote another pantomime version of this story which was presented by NAPAC Drama, choreographed by Joy Shearer from 17 December 1974 at the Alhambra Theatre Durban;

1978: Produced by PACT, starring Tobie Cronjé and Michael McCabe as the Ugly Sisters. Janice Honeyman directed.

1980: Produced by NAPAC from 9 December 1980 at the Alhambra Theatre, Durban

1982: Produced by PACT at the State Theatre in 1982;

1982: Produced in Afrikaans as Aspoestertjie by CAPAB, from 1 July in the Nico Malan Theatre. Directed by Johan Esterhuizen with Marthinus Basson, Neels Coetzee, Terry Greyvenstein, Marié Human, Christo Potgieter, Russel Savadier, David van der Merwe and Lynita Crofford. Decor and costumes by Jenny Gillis, lighting by Malcolm Hurrell.

1988: Produced by NAPAC Drama at The Opera, Natal Playhouse, choreographed by Denise Britz, from 8 December 1988 .

1991: Nicholas Ellenbogen directed another pantomime version of this play for Theatre for Africa at the Wits University Theatre in 1991.

1993: Produced in December by The Story Spinning Theatre in the Baxter Theatre. Adapted and directed by Rick Everett with Chireen Ferreira as Cinderella, Matthew Roberts and David Appleby as The Ugly Sisters, Denver Vraagom as Buttons with Pippa Duffy as The Prince and Elton John Duffy as William, directed by Everett. Original music and lyrics by Pippa Duffy, musical direction by Brian Burke.

2008-9: Produced by KickstArt at the Kwasuka Theatre, directed by Steven Stead, from 3 December 2008 to 2 January 2009.

2015: Produced in August as Aspoestertjie, an Afrikaans children's production, by the Drama Department at the University of Pretoria, directed in the Masker Theatre by Estelle Zeeman

2017-8: The Imperial Ice Stars[4], in association with Pieter Toerien Productions, performed Cinderella on Ice at the Teatro, Montecasino, from 1 December to 7 January.

Sources

Cinderella theatre programme, 1971.

Martin 2008. (re PACT 1978 production).

Baxter Theatre pamphlet, December 1993.

Nico Malan Theatre Centre pamphlet

Percy Tucker, 1997.

Martin 2008.

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_article.htm?contentID=42928

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F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.

Conradie, Elizabeth. 1934. Hollandse skrywers uit Suid-Afrika. Deel 1 (1652-1875) 'n Kultuur-historische studie. Pretoria, J.H. de Bussy and Cape Town H.A.U.M..[5]

Conradie, Elizabeth, 1949. Hollandse skrywers uit Suid-Afrika. Deel 2 (1875-1905) 'n Kultuur-historische studie. Pretoria, J.H. de Bussy and Cape Town H.A.U.M..[6]

P.J. du Toit. 1988. Amateurtoneel in Suid-Afrika. Pretoria: Academica

Jill Fletcher. 1994. The Story of Theatre in South Africa: A Guide to its History from 1780-1930. Cape Town: Vlaeberg: p.

Sydney Paul Gosher. 1988. A historical and critical survey of the South African one-act play written in English. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Pretoria: University of South Africa.

William Groom. 1899-1900. Drama in Cape Town. Cape Illustrated Magazine, 10(4): 478-481, 517-520, 547-552, 580-584, 640-643, 670-672, 706-708.

Temple Hauptfleisch. 1997. Theatre and Society in South Africa: Reflections in a Fractured Mirror. Pretoria: Van Schaik[7]: pp.

Peter Joyce. 1999. A Concise Dictionary of South African Biography. Cape Town: Francolin Publishers.

J.C. Kannemeyer 1978. Geskiedenis van die Afrikaanse Literatuur I. Pretoria: Academica. (Second edition, 1984[8], pp.

J.C. Kannemeyer. 1984. ‘’Geskiedenis van die Afrikaanse Literatuur’’2[9]: pp.

Ingmar Koch. 1997. Het ochtendgloren boven Kaapstad. Nederlandse rederijkers in Kaapstad, Tydskrif vir Nederlands & Afrikaans. (4de Jaargang, Nommer 2. Desember)[10]

Loren Kruger 1999. The Drama of South Africa: Plays, Pageants and Publics Since 1910 London: Routledge

P.W. Laidler. 1926. The Annals of the Cape Stage. Edinburgh: William Bryce: p.

Anna Minnaar-Vos 1969. Die Spel Gaan Voort: Die Verhaal van Hendrik en Mathilde Hanekom. Kaapstad: Tafelberg, pp. 96-110.

Brian Astbury. 1979. The Space/Die Ruimte/Indawo. Cape Town: Moira and Azriel Fine.

Percy Tucker. 1997. Just the Ticket. My 50 Years in Show Business. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.

Allardyce Nicoll. 1975. A History of English Drama 1660-1900: Late 19th Century Drama 1850-1900 Cambridge University Press[11]

J.A. Worp. 1972. Geschiedenis van het Drama en van het Tooneel in Nederland. Deel 2, Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL)[12]

Joris Baers (1888-1975): Algemeene Tooneelbibliotheek Een[13]

http://www.domus.ac.za/afrikaans/images/Programme%20in%20DOMUS(2).pdf

Go to ESAT Bibliography