21st century Cinderella comes back to Asia

Tag : slip-on shoe

Cinderella is no foreign story. It is a tale told throughout theworld since the dawn of civilization.
The staging of Rodgers & Hammersteins Cinderellashowing atthe Cultural Center of the Philippines until August 24 and set totour China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and otherAsian countriesis nothing less than a return of an ancient fable.Produced by Broadway Asia Entertainment, starring an interracialcast and headlined by no less than Tony Award-winning Filipino LeaSalonga, Cinderella comes home to Asia.
To the Chinese, she was Ye Xian, an industrious orphaned girl whosemother, reincarnated as a fish, is killed by her cruel stepmother.As told in the Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang by TuanCheng-Shih in 860 AD, Ye Xian keeps the fishs bones, which proveto be magical. These allow her to clothe herself for the Emperorsfestival. She enjoys herself but hastily departs, leaving behind aslipper. The emperor finds her and love blossoms.
To the Greeks and Egyptians, she was Rhodopisliterally rosycheeksa humble servant whose sandals are fetched by an eagle anddelivered to the pharaoh. Intrigued, the ruler commands that everygirl in the kingdom try the sandal for size. As 1st century BCGreek historian Strabo tells it, the pharaoh falls in love andmarries the rosy servant.
In the Philippines, we have Mariang Alimango, an orphan saved fromthe maltreatment of her stepmother and stepsisters by a magicalgodmother who comes in the form of a giant crab.
Other versions of the tale can be found as far apart as Indonesia,Korea, Slovakia and Ireland.
It was not until 1697 that Frenchman Charles Perrault codifiedcenturies of European oral folklore and wrote of Cendrillon, achimney sweep covered in ash and cinderhence the nameCinderellawho was left out as her wicked stepsisters attended aroyal ball. Perrault was the first to introduce the glass slipperinto the fairytale. In 1812, German brothers Jacob and WilhelmGrimm published Grimms Fairy Tales, which includedAschenputtelCinderella to the English-speaking world.
In 1957, American songwriting duo Richard Rodgers and OscarHammerstein II adapted the fairytale into a musical for televisionstarring Julie Andrews.
From prehistory Asian mythology to French Baroque imagery toAmerican pop sensibility, Cinderella has undergone continuoustransformation.
Old tale, new woman
In its current staging at the CCP by Broadway Asia Entertainment,Cinderella has been refashioned for the 21st century.
A prologue delivered by the godmother makes direct references tothe storys Asian origins. One of the stage backdrops includesscript in Mandarin, Sanskrit, Hebrew and other languages.
More importantly, the play subtly adds assertiveness andegalitarianism to the morals of this story. The spunky godmothergoads the abused stepdaughter to run away, to not only wish butalso to make things happen. Theres more to a heroine than ahelpless martyr praying for magic and a dashing prince to save theday. More importantly, she reminds Cinderella that even without aglittering gown or an impressive stagecoach, perhaps a humblechimneysweep can still catch the eye of a prince. Perhaps evenwithout a shoe to fit, a man can recognize the princess inside thewoman.
Still, the play does not stray to far from tradition. The princestill asks Cinderella to slip on the glass shoe. Cinderella stillpines for a man to save her. One can only fantasize how differentCinderella will be a century or two from now.