Matthew Bourne's Cinderella

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 12 December 2010

Matthew Bourne’s war-time Cinderella, search lights strafing the London sky during the Blitz, makes a welcome return for Christmas at the Wells. First seen in the West End in 1997, the show is a dazzling reclamation of the familiar story in the cinematic terms of Pressburger and Powell’s A Matter of Life and Death, and David Lean’s Brief Encounter.

Oddly, both those inspirations for Bourne have since been harnessed by Kneehigh in separate events of starkly contrasting success. But neither had an idea to compare for brilliance with Bourne’s reawakening of the bomb-damaged Café de Paris (scene of the recent WOS Awards nominations) as the crucible of Cinders’ romantic fantasy with her mustachioed, mysterious fighter pilot.

Set to Prokofiev’s mordant, melodic and strangely affecting music – recorded in “senssurround,” not played “live,” alas, as it was in 1997 ̵...

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Gareth James - 10 January 2011:

Prokofiev’s score for this ballet – and his Romeo & Juliet – is at least as good as any of Tchaikovsky’s and in my opinion it’s so much better when danced in a fluid modern way than in a fusty classical style. When Matthew Bourne first staged it 13 years ago, I enjoyed it a lot and was a bit surprised it wasn’t as much of a hit as his now legendary staging of Swan Lake, so it was good to get a second look. To all intents and purposes it’s the story we all know, though Cinderella’s family is expanded to include three step-brothers, the prince is an airman, the fairy godmother is a male angel and the ball is an evening at the Cafe de Paris dance hall……and it all takes place in the blitz…..and it works! Cinderella goes to ‘the ball’ in a motorcycle sidecar. The step-sisters are ugly on the inside so we’re spared grotesques. Though the airman searches for Cinderella with her shoe in hand, we get none of the try-it-on stuff; instead we’re whisked through the streets of London, in the Underground and on the Embankment. There isn’t much of a wedding, but we see them off on their honeymoon from Platform 12 at Paddington Station (somewhat spookily, an hour later I was departing from Platform 13 at Paddington!). Bourne’s choreography is, as always, fresh and fluid. I’m not sure who danced who at the performance we attended, but I don’t think it matters – they were all great. I was nervous that he’d dispensed with a live orchestra, but surprised that this didn’t actually bother me – maybe because the recorded sound was superb and the occasional integration of a blitz soundscape very successful. I would have complimented Lez Brotherston’s designs, but I understand he doesn’t want to be referred to in blogs, so I won’t. This is the great populist modern dance style that made Bourne’s name and on this showing, he’s lost none of his creativity and talent. Another Christmas treat! ...

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