Picture: Dujonna Gift
Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre has been forced to cancel this weekend’s press night night performance of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella after leading lady Grace Mouat suffered an injury.
A statement circulated by the Ancoats venue to critics who had been due to attend the official opening night of the show which began preview performances on 1 November, reads: “Unfortunately due to an injury, Grace Mouat, will be unable to perform for the immediate foreseeable, whilst she takes some time to recover. We are hopeful that Grace will be able to return to the show soon and we wish her a speedy recovery. As a result we have made the difficult decision to postpone our press night until we have more clarity on her recovery. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope that you will be able to join us at a later date.”
Posting on Twitter, the show’s director Hope Mill’s Joseph Houston said: “Devastated! And wishing Grace lots of love and best wishes… she’s a star. Everyone has worked so hard under immense pressure to keep the show going and audiences are loving it. Please do continue to support us during this difficult time.”
The musical which is due to run up to 11 December 2022 also stars Jacob Fowler (Heathers The Musical, The Other Palace) as Prince Topher, Annie Aitken (The Phantom of the Opera) as Madame, Julie Yammanee (Carousel) as Marie/Fairy Godmother, Lee Ormsby (Les Misérables) as Sebastian, Matthew McDonald (HMS Pinafore) as Lord Pinkleton and U/S Prince Topher, Katie Ramshaw (Jeremy Jordan in Concert) as Charlotte, Olivia-Faith Kamau (Million Dollar Quartet) as Gabrielle and Adam Filipe (The Prince of Egypt) as Jean-Michel.
The venue’s founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton head the creative team for the production with Houston as director and Whelton as choreographer. The creative team is completed by musical supervisor Leo Munby, musical director Audra Cramer, with new musical arrangements by Jason Carr, set and costume design by Elly Edowski, projection design by George Reeve, lighting design by Aaron J Dootson, sound designer Adam Fisher, associate choreographer Charise Renouf, wig designer Richard Mawbey, wig supervisor Lucy Packham-O’Brien, assistant costume designer Eve Salter and sound No 1. Josh Evans, with casting by Jane Deitch and artwork by Steph Pyne.
Based on the classic fairy tale, Cinderella was the only piece written specifically for television by the legendary creators of South Pacific, Carousel and The Sound of Music.
Boasting music by Richard Rodgers with lyrics and a book by Oscar Hammerstein, Cinderella debuted on US television in 1957 with Julie Andrews giving an Emmy-nominated performance in the title role.
Cinderella was re-made twice for TV – in 1965 with a teenage Lesley Ann Warren starring and in 1997 with pop star Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother.
The small screen musical was first performed on stage at the London Coliseum in 1958 and productions followed across the US and in the Far East. The show was transformed into a Broadway musical featuring a book by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane (To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar) in 2013.
Angela Thomas
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