Review: Cinderella – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Cinderella has a hard old life – not only are both her parents in the ground but steps mother and sisters are not the most pleasant of housemates.
Thankfully for the audience, however, this bleak situation provides ample comedy as the two blood-related siblings (Eilis Small and Tessa Hogge having an absolute whale of a time) mercilessly tease their orphan servant (Miki Mizutani).
The pair are a delight as they dance clumsily, chase mountains of cakes and do their damnedest to appeal to the baffled Dancing Master (Riku Ito), Major Domo (Rory Mackay) and the Prince himself (Mathias Dingman).
But we know how this goes, and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s faithful rendition of Prokofiev’s classic makes sure there is comeuppance and romantic resolution in equal measure for the steps and poor Cindy.
Aside from a couple of minor misdemeanours (a small collision here, a rolled ankle there), the performance is astonishingly tight, with some incredible synchronisation, especially by Small and Hogge early on.
The sets are serviceable, certainly few boats have been pushed out, apart from the two giant whirring collection of cogs which merge when it comes time for Cinderella to scarper the ball. Quite apart from the colossal clock, this scene is one of the show’s most impressive, as the dancers sporadically spring into clockwork movements with jarring arm motions.
Also of mention are the impressive seasonal sensations of Spring (Beatrice Parma), Summer (Celine Gittens), Autumn (Sofia Linares) and Winter (Yu Kurihara), and Cinderella’s animal accompaniments the Frog Coachman (Tom Hazelby), Lizard Footmen (Marlo Kempsey-Fagg and Mason King) and Mice Pages (Honey O’Sullivan and Betsy Ridley) who display exceptional athleticism despite their giant masks.
Act III’s slipper-trying is another highlight, as the prince is surrounded by a giant mound of shoes (did he request the prospective princesses leave them behind or was absent-mindedness brought on by their footware failure?), before he pops off on a tour of the kingdom to track down his runaway romantic conquest. Again, Small and Hogge are hilarious, as is their mother (Daria Stanciulescu) who decides she’ll get in on the act too.
And it’s another sterling performance by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia; Cinderella is not my favourite Prokofiev score, but the orchestra, conducted by Paul Murphy, nevertheless delivers with gusto.
Cinderella is at Mayflower Theatre until Saturday 8th February. Wear your finest jewelled slippers – and make sure they fit.
Book tickets at www.mayflower.org.uk
