Cinderella
You shall go to the ball. Repeatedly. Three British ballet companies (Royal, Birmingham and Scottish) are presenting Cinderella this winter and Sadler’s Wells is reviving Matthew Bourne’s contemporary dance version set in the London Blitz.
Cinderella is often bracketed with Coppélia and the Tchaikovsky ballets but, while the narrative is a natural magnet for the plastic tiara contingent, it is also a very sophisticated adult pleasure thanks to Prokofiev’s score. Written after the more familiar Romeo and Juliet, its motifs are more subtle and the wonderstruck melodies and unsettling minor keys create a beguiling blend of sweetness and acidity.
New full-length narratives are a rarity these days but Birmingham Royal Ballet’s David Bintley will premiere Cinderella at the Hippodrome in November. Bintley is keen to stress the light and shade within the story and uses the dark side of Prokofiev to highlight the ugly subtext of Perrault’s fairy tale. The mix of grimness and grandeur is reinforced by veteran designer John Macfarlane, creator of BRB’s celebrated Nutcracker. The troupe may lack the stars of the Royal Ballet but a first-rate orchestra and Macfarlane’s genius for transformation scenes should have the audience purring before a step has been danced.
Birmingham Royal Ballet, 24th November-12th December; Royal Ballet, 20th November-31st December; Scottish Ballet, 14th December-5th February; Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, Sadler’s Wells, 30th November-23rd January
You shall go to the ball. Repeatedly. Three British ballet companies (Royal, Birmingham and Scottish) are presenting Cinderella this winter and Sadler’s Wells is reviving Matthew Bourne’s contemporary dance version set in the London Blitz.
Cinderella is often bracketed with Coppélia and the Tchaikovsky ballets but, while the narrative is a natural magnet for the plastic tiara contingent, it is also a very sophisticated adult pleasure thanks to Prokofiev’s score. Written after the more familiar Romeo and Juliet, its motifs are more subtle and the wonderstruck melodies and unsettling minor keys create a beguiling blend of sweetness and acidity.
New full-length narratives are a rarity these days but Birmingham Royal Ballet’s David Bintley will premiere Cinderella at the Hippodrome in November. Bintley is keen to stress the light and shade within the story and uses the dark side of Prokofiev to highlight the ugly subtext of Perrault’s fairy tale. The mix of grimness and grandeur is reinforced by veteran designer John Macfarlane, creator of BRB’s celebrated Nutcracker. The troupe may lack the stars of the Royal Ballet but a first-rate orchestra and Macfarlane’s genius for transformation scenes should have the audience purring before a step has been danced.
Birmingham Royal Ballet, 24th November-12th December; Royal Ballet, 20th November-31st December; Scottish Ballet, 14th December-5th February; Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, Sadler’s Wells, 30th November-23rd January
