Once Upon a One More Time

Once upon a time in Chicago, a Britney Spears jukebox musical was poised to make its world première. Then, alas, the opening was rescheduled for spring, 2020, whereupon COVID struck, shuttering theatres across the land. Oops! The show was postponed again. Upon a third time, it did première, though by then the musical had relocated to Washington, D.C. Now, at last, “Once Upon a One More Time” comes to Broadway (at the Marquis, in previews, opening June 22). But lo, bitch! ’Tis no ordinary jukebox musical. Spears’s songs have been interwoven with a book by Jon Hartmere to revamp the stories of Cinderella (played by Briga Heelan, also making a Broadway début) and other fairy-tale princesses. These sweet damsels dwell in a happy-ever-hereafter, endlessly reënacting their narratives. One day, Cinderella’s fairy godmother (Brooke Dillman) swoops in from Brooklyn and introduces feminism, which makes Cinderella question everything and everyone—including her supposedly charming prince (Justin Guarini, of “American Idol” Season 1 fame). Presiding over the revels and the revelations as co-director-choreographers are the husband-and-wife team of Keone and Mari Madrid.