Enchanting Night at the Ballet: Cinderella Review

Originally published on Avenoir Magazine, in December 2015.

Walking into His Majesty’s Theatre, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, as I have never seen a ballet performance to this scale before. 

It was enchanting to watch the story unfold through the art of dance, rather than through the traditional methods of theatre that I’ve become accustomed to. 

Since there was no speaking throughout the performance, I relied on my knowledge of the original tale to aid in the understanding of what was happening onstage; except this rendition of Cinderella had a few subtle changes to the story.

The first one being that her father isn’t deceased; he’s just extremely worn down by Cinderella’s overbearing and rather demanding stepmother.

The carriage that takes Cinderella to the ball isn’t a pumpkin; in its place is her birdcage that we see her reminiscing with at the beginning of the show. The fairy godmother is Cinderella’s mother (which I thought was lovely), who also doesn’t use mice to assist her, and instead there are three magical birds to help make Cinderella’s dreams come true.

Occasionally there were moments where too much was happening onstage, that it became a bit difficult to follow for those not used to the storytelling style of ballet. This is where I relied heavily on my prior knowledge of the story. These moments occurred mostly during the transitions from one scene to the next, and did not impede on the enjoyment of the performance.

The dancers were magnificent, not only did they all look incredibly beautiful but the way they danced seemed effortless, like they were floating across the floor. Jayne Smeulder’s choreography is mesmerizing; you can feel every part of the story perfectly portrayed from one move to the next.

Just as important as the dancers are the musicians in the pit. The West Australian Philharmonic Orchestra gave the perfect accompaniment to the story; the score was sublime and every note held emotion and power that was important in telling the story.

The set was breathtaking, whether we were inside Cinderella’s father’s house or the Prince’s castle, to outside in Cinderella’s garden, it was amazing how vivid they were. My favourite was definitely the garden because it gave off this enchanting feeling, which intensified when it was filled with fairies and magical birds. The projection of the moon was also incredible, it looked realistic and the way it doubled as the clock striking midnight was brilliant. 

Allan Lees was behind both the set and the costumes, and his costumes were just as captivating as his set, they complemented each other perfectly. From the stepsister’s brightly coloured dresses, to Cinderella’s beautiful ball gown, every costume was spectacular.