This obscure production includes some of the best songs the pair wrote, especially Hammerstein (who was freed here from the need to write in the bogus "folk" dialect of his best-known work). The show was written with Julie Andrews in mind and she sings the songs beautifully here. Although the musical was shot and broadcast in color, the recording is in B&W (how most Americans in 1957 would have seen it, too). The decor looks more like that of a high-school play and the whole setting is pretty claustrophobic, but this doesn't detract from the enjoyment. What's fun about the show, apart from the good songs, is watching the nervous excitement of these players who knew they were doing a live show-- and doing it in close-up, no less-- in front of 100m. This unpretentious (for R&H) charming show is still the best of the animated and TV Cinderellas. The backstory video (on the DVD) is also interesting.
Review of Cinderella
