Apologies if this has been asked before.
I've just heard the 2002 revival version of On the Steps of the Palace and can anyone please tell me why LR and Jack pop up at the end of CINDERELLA'S song?
They've had their moments!
I prefer the original, although Laura Benetti's voice is quite remarkable, it doesn't make up for Little Red and Jack ruining the song (IMHO).
I mean we know they've learned things, they've had songs explaining it!

Sorry for the rant haha.

I was wondering that too. I absolutely adore her as Cinderella, but while I was listening to the song on my iPod, Little Red and Jack randomly came in at the end and I did a double-take. Was it really necessary for them to step in on Cinderella's moment..?

Haha that was the first version of the song I heard, so that's how I got used to it being... I think it's an interesting touch.

To me, it ruins the whole song. I mean, if LR or Jack had truly similar thematic material to connect them to this song, it might be something else, but as it is, it's just unnecessary and irritating.

I agree, the ending is horrid.
But most things about the revival are. The less said about it, the better.

Let me start off by saying that, like all of you, I completely disagree with having Little Red and Jack join in at the end of Cinderella's big moment. However, Jack, Cinderella and Little Red absolutely share the same themes. They all experience new things and are changed by them. All you have to do is listen to the lyrics of the songs. Sondheim is very clear about it.

Jack:
And she gives you food and she gives you rest
And she draws you close to her giant breast
And you know thing now that you never new before

Little Red:
And I know things now many valuable things
That I hadn't known before

Cinderella:
Now it's he and not you who is stuck with a shoe
In a stew
In the goo
And you've learned something too
Something you never new
On the steps of the palace

And there are also other lyrics that connect them. Each one of them describes how scared they were when first experiencing these new things. They all share this and that is probably the reason Sondheim chose for the other two to join in with Cinderella in the first place. And even though I think the recent London production made this work a bit better than the revival and the London Cinderella was awful and to get any attention away from her would be a good thing. My opinion is that the song should stay as originally written. These two had their great moments on stage and we now have to let Cinderella go through it on her own as well.

Funny you should say this because I was listening to 'Back to the Palace' yesterday which is the song that was replaced with OTSOTP and Cinderella's lyrics were pretty close to the lyrics in I Know Things Now.

'You're scared and excited' and later...
'There's something you know now you never knew...'
It reminded me of how Cinderella's Prince doubles as Little Red's wolf.

They're doing this ending in the production I'm in... the MD modified the arrangement a bit, so it SOUNDS good ... helped by really strong singers in all three parts. And I get the thematic tie-in, but the appearance just doesn't seem to fit the flow of the show quite right, and it's not like the theme is so obscure it needs this kind of emphatic sledgehammer.

Meh. I guess my reaction is "it's not awful, but I don't see the need."