A joint production between Opera Australia and Crossroads Live Australia, the new production of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella is scheduled to commence at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre starting 20 May 2022. But while many leading cast members were revealed, there was a question of whom Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters would be portrayed by.
In an announcement this weekend, Lyndon Terracini (Opera Australi) and John Frost (Crossroads Live) announced that Matilda Moran will play Gabrielle, the stepsister who is at first aligned with her materialistic mother and sister, but whose kindness and thoughtful nature emerge as she is affected by Ella and falls in love with poor revolutionary Jean-Michel. A WAAPA graduate, Matilda has played Fantine in Les Misérables, Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along, Kate in Titanic: the Musical and Patty Simcox in The Original Grease.
Furthermore, Bianca Bruce has been cast as stepsister Charlotte who is loud, brash, deeply self-involved, and delights in being cocky. Bianca was most recently seen as Pam in the Australian tour of 50 Shades! The Musical Parody and in the critically acclaimed Music of the Night – The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Previously, she appeared as Camila in the Australian Premiere of In the Heights, as Ethel in Memphis the Musical, and made her television debut in How To Stay Married on Channel 10.
The pair will join a leading cast including Shubshri Kandiah (Aladdin, Fangirls) as Ella (Cinderella); Ainsley Melham (Merrily We Roll Along, Aladdin) as Prince Topher; Silvie Paladino (Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables) as Marie, the Fairy Godmother; Tina Bursill (TV’s Doctor Doctor, Wentworth) as Madame, Ella’s stepmother, and Todd McKenney (The Boy From Oz, Shrek) as the Lord Chancellor, Sebastian.
We’re thrilled that Matilda and Bianca are joining this outstanding cast, led by Shubshri, Ainsley, Silvie, Tina and Todd, and we know they are going to relish bringing this much-loved story to life. Cinderella is one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s greatest scores and this production with beautiful orchestrations, magnificent costumes and sets, jaw-dropping transformations and all the moments you love from the classic story, will have audiences clamouring for more. Make sure you get a ticket soon!
Lyndon Terracini and John Frost
This new production of Rodgers + Hammersteins’ Cinderella is pitched as a “fresh new take on the beloved tale of a young woman who is transformed from a chambermaid into a princess”. It sets out to combine “the story’s classic elements – the glass slippers, pumpkin, a beautiful masked ball and more – along with some surprising twists. More than just a pretty face with the right shoe size, this Cinderella is a contemporary figure living in a fairytale setting. A spirited young woman with savvy and soul, she not only fights for her own dreams, but forces the prince to open his eyes to the world around him and realise his dreams too”.
For information on how to book tickets for the Melbourne or Sydney seasons of Rodgers + Hammersteins’ Cinderella, you can visit the show’s official website.
