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 Ashtons Cinderella
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Cinderella Reviews
Cinderella Performances
'Cinderella' in Postings
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When 'Cinderella' was premiered in December 1948, it was not only Frederick Ashton's first full-evening ballet, but also the first production in the West to use Prokoviev's score - less well known than his 'Romeo and Juliet', but just as danceable. The original decor was by Jean-Denis Malcles; it has been redesigned twice, and the current scenery and costumes are by David Walker. The plot is a straightforward version of the traditional story. Cinderella has two step-sisters (usually played by men) but her step-mother doesn't appear, and and instead of a 'Buttons' or 'Dandini' character the Prince has an attendant Jester. To provide more opportunities for dancing, the Fairy Godmother brings the Fairies of the Four Seasons to dance for Cinderella before she sets off for the ball. On this simple framework Ashton has built a wonderful ballet, using a typical mix of the finest choreography with comedy, irony, and at times an underlying sense of sadness. At the heart of the piece is the meltingly beautiful pas de deux for the Prince and Cinderella at the ball, but the solos for the Seasons and the dances for the corps de ballet of Stars would also feature in any 'essential Ashton' anthology. If you've seen other versions, the structure of the last act may surprise you, as the Prince's round-the-world search for Cinderella is cut entirely; and don't expect a triumphant 'wedding' pas de deux at the end - this is Ashton, master of the understatement. Cinderella (created by Moira Shearer because Fonteyn was injured) is a gorgeous role for a ballerina: lovely scenes as the drab waif in the kitchen, needing sensitive acting and a sense of humour, and then in Act 2 she can pull the stops out as the radiant Princess. (Her famous entrance, walking on pointe down the great staircase whilst gazing straight ahead, must be terrifying to do but it is always a magical effect.) Almost every Royal Ballet ballerina has danced it: the best make the most of the contrast between kitchen and ballroom. In recent memory Fiona Chadwick, Nicola Roberts and (perhaps surprisingly) Guillem have all been good, in very different ways. Yoshida, Benjamin and Hatley all make their debuts this season, joining Bussell who first danced the role 4 years ago. The Ugly Sisters will be familiar to anyone who's ever been to an English pantomime (though Ashton always said he'd never seen one). They were originally played by Robert Helpmann and Ashton himself - both of them performers touched with genius, and an impossible act to follow. In recent years the 'Ashton' sister - a pathetic downtrodden lady - has been done with some success by Michael Coleman and David Bintley, but the bossy, dominating 'Helpmann' sister seems to defeat everyone. (I sometimes think, but would never dare to suggest, that Anthony Dowell should try it himself...) The ballet has had hundreds of performances in its nearly fifty years, but has to take its turn with 'Nutcracker' and, these days, 'Beatrix Potter' as the Christmas piece. Especially in a season with so little Ashton, this revival is more than welcome. It is our classic Cinderella', against which all others must be measured. |
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