Character guide
Gabrielle
from Cinderella
Gabrielle is the unexpectedly kind stepsister in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, the 2013 Broadway adaptation of the classic fairy tale.
- Show
- Cinderella
- Broadway premiere
- 2013
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Richard Rodgers
Gabrielle on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1957, 1965, and 1997 TV versions
Gabrielle is one of the biggest inventions of the 2013 Broadway book. Earlier versions give Cinderella two self-centered stepsisters, but Douglas Carter Beane makes Gabrielle kind and in love with Jean-Michel, a new rebel character, and the two demand reform in the kingdom. Marla Mindelle originated Gabrielle, opposite Ann Harada as her sister Charlotte.
On television the stepsisters were Portia and Joy (Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley) in 1957, Prunella and Esmerelda (Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick) in 1965, and Calliope and Minerva (Veanne Cox and Natalie Desselle) in 1997.
Who is Gabrielle?
Gabrielle is one of Ella's stepsisters, but unlike the traditionally cruel stepsisters of the original fairy tale, she is written in the Broadway version as secretly sympathetic to Ella and uncomfortable with her mother and sister's treatment of her. She also carries her own quiet romance with a revolutionary named Jean Michel.
Her friendship with Ella, largely hidden from the rest of the family, gives the story an additional thread of loyalty and kindness within the stepfamily, softening the fairy tale's usual black and white morality.
Gabrielle's role in Cinderella
Gabrielle is a supporting role, and the Broadway adaptation's decision to make her a kind rather than cruel stepsister makes her one of the more distinctive changes from the original story. She takes part in ensemble numbers and shares a subplot romance rather than carrying a major solo.
Marla Mindelle originated the role in the 2013 Broadway production, using comic warmth to make Gabrielle's unlikely friendship with Ella feel natural within a household otherwise defined by vanity.
Gabrielle: frequently asked questions
What show is Gabrielle from?
Gabrielle is a supporting character in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which opened on Broadway in 2013.
Is Gabrielle a lead or supporting role?
Gabrielle is a supporting role, written as the kinder of Ella's two stepsisters.
Who wrote the music for Cinderella?
Richard Rodgers wrote the music, with Oscar Hammerstein II writing the lyrics.
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