The Glass Slippers puts a modern twist on Cinderella, removing the dated constructs of ‘ugly’ step-sisters and that a ‘happily-ever-after' must mean being rescued by a Prince. Cinderella loves the outdoors and championing sustainability in her seaside town home, but clashes with her new family who constantly buy new things online and live their lives behind screens. Meanwhile, a lonely Prince Charming is exhausted by portraying someone he’s not for social media during the launch of his the ‘Glass Slippers’ brand. When the two of them meet by chance on the beach, it’s clear that they can both be themselves and quickly become friends. Blending storytelling with an original soulful soundtrack, humour and Tutti Frutti’s distinctive set design, this new spin on the classic fairytale explores perception, authenticity and the wonders of the natural world with the use of actor musicians.
Adapted by BAFTA nominee and Chair of the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain Emma Reeves (Tracey Beaker, The Worst Witch) the production is heading out on tour this Autumn/Winter. Ahead of this tour we sat down with Emma to learn more.
What can you tell me about The Glass Slippers?
It’s a version of the timeless Cinderella story, performed by three brilliant actor-musicians, with brilliant original music and a gorgeous beach-house themed set. It touches on various themes that young people should find interesting, including appreciating our beautiful world, pressure from peers and family, friendship and sibling relationships. I hope that it will be funny and enjoyable and also a little bit moving!
Where did the inspiration for the piece come from?
Wendy Harris, the brilliant director, approached me to ask if I’d be interested in writing a version of Cinderella. I was supposed to write Glass Slippers in 2020, but Covid intervened and the show was put on hold, and ultimately cancelled. When Wendy asked me to revisit the story for the 2024 production, with a new creative team, I found that I was interested in other aspects of the story. I’d always been interested in the blended family dynamic of Cinderella and her sisters, but I kept thinking about how the pandemic lockdowns had accelerated the process of young people becoming more and more online. Today, children are negotiating the differences between real and parasocial relationships from a very young age. Everyone’s able to create multiple identities, and hide behind disguises just as Cinderella does at the ball. Even very small children are aware of celebrity influencers and those personalities who are “famous for being famous”. I was interested in the positive and negative aspects of this.
Also, we’re all very conscious of the climate crisis and the human need to reconnect with nature, and Wendy in particular was keen that we weave ecological themes into our story. We aimed to integrate ideas like recycling and appreciating the beauty of the natural world into the show, in a very positive way; we don’t want to lecture our audience, but to enthuse and inspire them.
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What is your writing process like for a piece like this?
It started with an R and D (research and development) week where I met with Wendy, Christella (composer), Stuart (movement director), Catherine (designer) and Delicia (costume designer) and we all talked about our ideas for the show and our connection to the “Cinderella” story. I listened to everyone’s thoughts, and we did exercises in design, movement and music. Then I went away and wrote a synopsis for a show which incorporated some of the themes we’d discussed. Wendy and the team gave me feedback, then I wrote a full draft, then they gave more feedback, and I wrote another draft. After that we’ve made various small changes, mostly cuts to make the length manageable.
How did you approach telling a story that already has so many versions and go about making it your own?
I looked up the history of Cinderella, and was fascinated to learn about its complex and international heritage. I’d worked on two shows for Tutti Frutti before; the first, Snow Child, was based on a Russian folk tale, and the second, Ugly Duckling, was an adaptation of the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. By contrast, Cinderella seems to have origins everywhere. Variants of the story can be traced back thousands of years, to ancient Greece and China, and almost every culture seems to have created its own version. I made a list of all the tropes and characters in versions through the years, and the idea of the lost shoe that will only fit the true princess is one of the oldest aspects of the story. So Wendy’s title was perfect. “Cinderella” is often criticised as a story for girls, because the heroine can be seen as passive, but most modern versions depict her as brave and strong as well as good. I was as interested in the Prince as I was in Cinderella – in the Disney film (which is based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 published version) the Prince is a shadowy figure whose wants and needs are subordinate to his own father’s need for grandchildren. Why is the Prince so desperate to track down a girl that he’s only known for an hour or two? I felt I needed to answer that question in order to give both Cinderella and the Prince their happy ending.
Although I re-watched and read many versions of the story, ultimately, I realised that it would be impossible to come up with anything that’s “never been done before”, with a story so old. All I could do was write my own version, set in the world I know – with, of course, a little bit of imagination!
How has the creative process been watching the show come to life?
It’s been very exciting so far. The entire team are incredibly talented, and I can’t wait to see the finished show!
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Like many writers, I suppose I always did; it felt like such a natural thing for me. When I was little I used to write stories and poems for the joy of it, but then of course comes school and formal teaching and criticism. When it becomes “work”, there’s always a point where the joy dissipates. For many years in my teens and twenties I wanted to be an actor. Looking back, I was pouring my joy in words into interpreting other people’s words. People who were better than me! It was much easier, and much more rewarding, than struggling with my own work. But writing caught me again in the end.
What would be your advice to any budding writers out there?
Just keep writing. Be warned, professional writing can be a tough, sometimes brutal business. But these days you can self-publish books and create content online without much financial investment. Tell the story you want to tell, the story only you can tell.
What keeps you inspired?
It’s tough, because I have deadlines all the time – and, as Wendy knows, I’m always begging to extend them! But it’s important to get away from the page or the screen, live your life and get inspired. I love getting out into nature but you can also get ideas walking around a city, or your neighbourhood, wherever it is. Talking to people, or, if you’re shy, just looking around.
What do you hope someone takes away from seeing The Glass Slippers?
I hope they have a good time. I hope it fires their imagination, that they come away singing the songs, copying the dance routines, and feeling inspired to explore and enjoy our wonderful world.
Where can someone catch The Glass Slippers?
All of these here! https://tutti-frutti.org.uk/tour-dates/)
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