Cinderella

Melbourne ballet fans were ready for Graeme Murphy’s brand new ballet, an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince to open the Australian Ballet’s season this year. However, with only weeks to go, illness forced the postponement of this ballet until 2020.  Instead, Melbourne gets the chance to see this fabulous version of Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella. 

After what seems like an age away, Chengwu Guo graces our stages as a lead once more.  There is an ease, an effortlessness and a lightness that Guo possesses which is rare. You  never see him prepare for a turn or hear him land a jump. There is a playfulness in the way in which he presents Prince Charming which meshes perfectly with Ratmansky’s choreography. Ako Kondo plays the title role with pathos and aplomb, transforming from the ash covered Cinderella into the sparkling belle of the ball.  She journeys through dreams, memories and into the stars. The show finishes with a long pas de duex, which is beautiful, but it is their first engagement in Act II which was the highlight.

Jerome Kaplan once again wows with his spectacular costume and set design. The stars and planets are spectacular and the choice of putting the female guests at the Prince’s Ball into satin suits is inspired. Less spectacular is Wendall K Harrington’s projection design which, at times, seems a little naff. Orchestra Victoria, the often unsung heroes of the ballet season, are impeccable in no smart due to Nicolette Faillon’s conducting.

But the show belongs to Cinderella’s step-family. Ingrid Gow and Jill Ogai are magnificent as the ‘Skinny’ and ‘Dumpy’ stepsisters respectively. They provide many of the laughs of the production and show their skill as dancers by being so perfectly awful at imitating the high lords and ladies at the ball. They literally throw themselves at potential suitors and on lip shaped sofas, even offering the odd pelvic thrust for effect.  Utterly hilarious. And as good as Gow and Ogai, Guo and Kondo all are, there is one dancer that steals the show – Dana Stephensen. Yes of course she is a wonderfully talented dancer, that should go without saying. What is really remarkable about her performance is that she takes Ratmansky’s choreography and runs with it, creating a rollicking performance which is best likened to Lucille Ball in pointe shoes. 

At 154 minutes, and three acts, this ballet may be a little too much for the very young, and the odd introduction of not one but two different bordello’s in Act III might not be quite appropriate but Cinderella is a laugh out loud production. Part fairy tale, part pantomime and part high art, this production will delight young and old.

L.B.Bermingham

Photographer: Jeff Busby

Credits

Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Costume and set design: Jérôme Kaplan
Original lighting design: Rachel Burke
Projection design: Wendall K Harrington