Cinderella (English National Ballet) – Mayflower Theatre, Southampton.

Music: Sergei Prokoficv

Choreographer: Michael Corder

Conductor: Alex Ingram

Reviewer: Emily Daughtery

The Public Reviews Rating:

I was particularly thrilled to be in the audience of the English National Ballet’s Cinderella because I last viewed it from the stage as I stood as the page boy in Act II ten years ago. Consequently I settled down with much anticipation to watch as the enchanting fairytale unfold before me at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

Cinderella is tormented by her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters, desperately wanting to attend the Prince’s ball but with only rags to wear she is left behind. Suddenly Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother transforms her into a beautiful Princess, where she travels in a magical coach to the ball and falls in love with her handsome Prince. As the clock strikes midnight she flees, leaving one slipper behind. The devastated Prince visits Cinderella’s family and although the two stepsisters try desperately to make the slipper fit; only Cinderella’s foot does. The Prince and Cinderella live happily ever after.

The added joy of watching a ballet with this well known storyline is that children and the uninitiated will immediately understand the plot and so are free to enjoy the superb dancing rather than wondering what is happening.

The quality of the music conducted by Alex Ingram was particularly outstanding. From the moment the music swelled out of the orchestra pit I was hooked. The music compliments the choreography by Michael Corder beautifully and is particularly enjoyable because instead of the words outlining the narrative each note assists in portraying the storyline

The costumes were eye-catching and elegant. They complemented the dancers, adding to the magical atmosphere, which had already been emphasised by the lighting, designed by Paul Pyant. The lighting used in the woodland scene was particularly effective because although simple it created a stunning effect on the stage floor. The woodland fairy costumes were beautiful, although I would have had more variation between the Spring and Summer as I found it hard to differentiate between them.

At the Prince’s ball in Act II the stage is decorated in rich material flowing down from the ceiling which gives a fantastic feeling of grand splendour, and ‘invisible’ strings are used throughout Act II and III to move the curtains which I found particularly magical to watch. The whole company, in uniformed costumes, creates a very striking effect, with Cinderella and the Prince centre stage in all their finery. During the ballroom scene soft spotlights followed Cinderella and the Prince around the crowded room constantly keeping them as the main focus, bringing the audience into the romantic and tender dance.

The choreography was stunning and well thought through. The dancers made complex choreography look effortless and every movement played an important part in the telling of the story. Dancing as Cinderella Daria Klimentová is a joy to watch and beautifully portrays the whirlwind of emotions Cinderella feels through her fabulous dancing. The handsome Prince danced by Vadim Muntagirov wonderfully supported Cinderella and was particularly captivating during Act III. Both dancers worked perfectly together, creating a very moving, romantic and believable chemistry between them.

The stepsisters played by Crystal Costa and Begoña Cao provided a wonderfully humorous element to the performance, which was entertaining and amusing to watch. Both were excellent dancers as Cinderella’s stepsisters and also in Act III where they danced as the Spanish and Egyptian Princesses.

Prokofiev’s award winning 1996 production of Cinderella is outstanding and uplifting, a really beautiful ballet to watch and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance. The English National Ballet will be celebrating its 60th Birthday in August and I am looking forward to seeing many more enchanting and inspiring performances by them in the future.