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“She doesn’t have a redemptive arc but does start some questioning, through Cinderella’s guidance.”

Bruce, who is half Indian, sees herself as a singer primarily and this role is a breakthrough for her, having felt frustrated in the past to have missed out.

“It’s so nice, as a plus-size person, to get into the industry because it’s often quite difficult,” she says.

“There aren’t many roles created for plus-size artists and when there are, the people cast are often not plus-size. There’s a shift now but I crave more inclusivity across the board. The next thing will be to get a traditional ingenue role.”

Moran, standing at 1.8 metres and recently playing Nicole Kidman’s body double in TV series Roar, never gets to play the ingenue either so is revelling in Gabrielle’s love story.

“It’s not something I’m used to at all and I’m traditionally cast as the bitch, so it’s nice to play someone who’s kind with some love on the side,” Moran says.

“I often end up playing the ‘goofball’ so that aspect of Gabrielle is familiar to me. I love the way she starts off being materialistic and cruel, never standing up for Ella or Charlotte mainly because she doesn’t know any better and is a bit shy.

“But she sees Ella, the way she treats people kindly and that changes her, ultimately getting what she wants in Act 2.”

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella opened on Broadway in 2013, having originally been written for television starring Julie Andrews in 1957. There was also a film version in 1997 starring Whitney Houston and pop singer Brandy. On stage, it’s different again, incorporating the comedy, slippers, pumpkin, carriage and lush Richard Rodgers orchestrations. Full use is made of the “Cinderella waltz” ball scene in grand costumes that won their designer a Tony award.

Rhodes says a sense of responsibility to younger audience members to have a diverse cast was central to the creative team’s vision.

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“It’s been the goal for the show from the beginning that, if we’re going to do Cinderella now, we have a responsibility to the young people coming to see it to make sure the story belongs to everyone,” he says.

“We’re very proud that the Broadway production received the Actors’ Equity award for diversity on Broadway that year and we were very excited to have the first ever African American play Cinderella. It was a wonderful introduction for children to see themselves or, more importantly, others in that role.”

Cinderella. Regent Theatre. Opens May 20. Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100.