Cinderella story gets a Disney cruise twist

[Jason]

Cinderella story gets a Disney cruise twist

BY DONNA BALANCIA

FLORIDA TODAY

Did Cinderella really live happily ever after?

A Disney stage production called "Twice Charmed -- An Original Twist on the Cinderella Tale," will debut aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship next month, providing Disney fans with the sequel to the classic fairy tale and a new villain.

"This is a wonderful show with original music," Tom McAlpin, president of Disney Cruise Line said in an interview Thursday, ahead of the official announcement.

In this version, instead of facing only her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella will be up against the evil Fairy Godfather Franco di Fortunato.

"The story starts at the end of the book, where Cinderella and the prince are getting married," McAlpin said. "The evil stepmother, reminiscing with stepsisters, thinks: 'If only it weren't for that shoe. . .' The Fairy Godfather comes to life, sends the family back in time, and grants them a wish." Cinderella's vengeful family is out to destroy the glass slipper -- and the heroine's happiness.

"I'm not giving away any more," McAlpin said of the show, which debuts May 25 while the ship, normally at Port Canaveral, is en route to the Port of Los Angeles to be part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of Disneyland in Anaheim. "Let's just say we have a creative group that has made this show very funny and entertaining."