Character guide
Madame
from Cinderella
Madame is Ella's vain and demanding stepmother 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
Madame on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1957, 1965, and 1997 TV versions
On television, Ella's stepmother is simply the Stepmother; the 2013 Broadway book names her Madame, and Harriet Harris originated the role.
On screen, Ilka Chase played the Stepmother in the 1957 CBS broadcast with Julie Andrews, and Jo Van Fleet played her in the 1965 remake. Bernadette Peters played her in the 1997 TV film, which gave the Stepmother a song of her own, Falling in Love with Love, borrowed from the musical The Boys from Syracuse. Theater historian John Kenrick, who disliked that remake, still called Peters' shtick trying on the glass slipper hilarious.
Who is Madame?
Madame is Ella's stepmother, obsessed with status and determined to see her own daughters marry well, treating Ella as unpaid household help along the way. She is more comic than menacing in this version, driven by vanity and social ambition rather than outright cruelty for its own sake.
Her scheming to secure a royal marriage for one of her daughters puts her in direct opposition to Ella's growing bond with Topher, and her insistence on appearances over kindness makes her the story's clearest contrast to Ella's own values.
Madame's role in Cinderella
Madame is a supporting comic role, often played for sharp, self satisfied humor rather than pure villainy, and does not carry a major solo number of her own in the way the leads do. The part rewards a performer with strong comic timing and stage presence.
Harriet Harris originated the role in the 2013 Broadway production, bringing an acid comic edge that helped define Madame as one of the production's most quotable characters.
Madame: frequently asked questions
What show is Madame from?
Madame is a supporting character in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which opened on Broadway in 2013.
Is Madame a lead or supporting role?
Madame is a supporting role, serving as Ella's stepmother.
Who wrote the music for Cinderella?
Richard Rodgers wrote the music, with Oscar Hammerstein II writing the lyrics.
Think you can name today's mystery character in eight guesses?
Play today's Character Guesser