The musical's first
Broadway production began previews on January 25, 2013, and opened on March 3, 2013, at
The Broadway Theatre.
Mark Brokaw directed the production, with Josh Rhodes choreographing, and the original cast included
Laura Osnes in the title role,
Santino Fontana as the Prince,
Victoria Clark as Crazy Marie/the Fairy Godmother,
Harriet Harris as Ella's stepmother,
Peter Bartlett as Sebastian, The Prime Minister,
Ann Harada and
Marla Mindelle as stepsisters Charlotte and Gabrielle, and Greg Hildreth as the rebel Jean-Michel. The show's initial reviews were mixed.
Rebecca Luker replaced Clark from September 2013 to January 2014.
Carly Rae Jepsen and
Fran Drescher were replacements for Ella and the Stepmother, both making their Broadway debuts, from February 2014 to June 2014. Paige Faure stepped into the role of Ella, and
Nancy Opel played the Stepmother, from June through September 2014.
Keke Palmer,
Sherri Shepherd, and
Judy Kaye joined the cast as Ella, the Stepmother, and the Fairy Godmother in September 2014. A report in
The Guardian commented, regarding Palmer, that "casting an African American actor as such an iconic – and typically pale – character is emblematic of the progress Broadway is making, slowly and haltingly, in employing actors of color in a broader array of parts." On September 23, 2014, Lesley Ann Warren joined the cast during the curtain call to celebrate the coming 50th-anniversary of the 1965 television version.
NeNe Leakes replaced Shepherd from November 2014. The production closed on January 3, 2015, after 41 previews and 770 regular performances. A North American tour began on October 10, 2014, in
Providence, Rhode Island, and closed in May 2016. Faure starred as Ella opposite Andy Jones as Topher. Fran Drescher reprised the role of the Stepmother during the tour's engagement in
Los Angeles in March and April 2015. The tour recouped its investment after six months. A touring production in Australia began at the
Regent Theatre, Melbourne, in May 2022, moved to the
Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, in August, and opened at the
Sydney Lyric theatre in October 2022; it closed on 29 January 2023. The cast included Shubshri Kandiah as Ella;
Ainsley Melham as Prince Topher;
Silvie Paladino as Marie;
Tina Bursill as Madame, and
Todd McKenney as Sebastian.
Nicholas Hammond played Sebastian for the musical's engagements in Brisbane and Sydney. The musical was revived at
Hope Mill Theatre in
Manchester, England, for a limited run from November 1 through December 11, 2022, with an opening night on November 6.
Grace Mouat starred as Ella, with Jacob Fowler as Prince Topher, Annie Aitken as Madame, Julie Yammanee as Marie/Godmother, Lee Ormsby as Sebastian, Matthew McDonald as Lord Pinkleton, Katie Ramshaw as Charlotte, Olivia-Faith Kamau as Gabrielle, and Adam Filipe as Jean-Michel. A Spanish-language production set in the 1950s opened on October 2, 2025, at the Teatro Coliseum in
Madrid. Directed by
Anthony Van Laast the cast included Paule Mallagaray as Ella, Briel González as Topher, Mayca Teba as Marie, Mariola Peña as Madame, María Gago as Gabrielle, Caro Gestoso as Charlotte, José Navar as Sebastian, Eloi Gómez as Jean-Michel, and Jaume Giró as Lord Pinkleton. ==Plot==