On Friday, February 12, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1997 hit, Cinderella, starring Brandy and Whitney Houston will make its debut on Disney Plus. When the musical premiered as a “Wonderful World of Disney” television special on ABC, it was immediately embraced for its star-studded and multiracial cast (including Brandy in the title role, Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber, and Jason Alexander).
“I feel like it’s divine timing,” Brandy told Variety earlier this month. “This is the month of love; this is a month of Black history. This is just the perfect time for this product to be shared with everyone.”
But it still feels surreal for the singer. “I don’t think it’ll hit all the way home until it’s actually out there, and I can feel the energy of everybody feeling it and connecting to it,” Brandy says. “I’m really excited because I feel like this new generation hasn’t seen anything quite like this version of Cinderella.”
rodgers and hammerstein’s cinderella coming to @disneyplus is the good news i needed today pic.twitter.com/TDc22qrJQf
— nadirah (@hinadirah) February 4, 2021
But for those who grew up with Brandy as Cinderella remember just how groundbreaking the musical was, not just because of the “colorblind casting,” but because of the accompanying soundtrack Whitney Houston produced (she also was the executive producer on the musical) — specifically “Impossible,” Brandy’s iconic duet with Houston.
“Oh my God, the singing in the studio was unbelievable,” Brandy told Vulture of the duet. “Like, we just have so many beautiful moments and it’s actually captured. You can find it — our chemistry, us trying different melodies, trying different notes. We just were very open with each other and it was a collaborative effort. And then performing it in the actual film, like shooting with her — it was just so fun. I never could have believed that if you told me that when I was a kid.”
in honor of “cinderella” being released to disney+ next friday, i just had to put this MOMENT back on the timeline pic.twitter.com/SklFjRk3Hr
— 𝐧𝐚𝐬 ♡ (@ivyknowIes) February 4, 2021
When the news broke the musical was coming to small screens everywhere, one Twitter user took the opportunity to share a clip of Brandy and Houston working together on “Impossible.”
What a moment, indeed.
