Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

On the 6th January 2018 I was privileged to be able to watch Matthew Bourne’s ballet adaptation of Cinderella at Sadlers Wells. His adaptation first premiered 20 years ago but it had undergone some radical changes and updating and was performed again from December 2017 till January 2018.

The traditional tale of Cinderella was not only brought to life but was given a unique twist by Matthew Bourne and his New Adventures company by being set during World War II. The special and most exceptional part of Matthew Bourne’s ballet is that it is a combination of both contemporary and classical choreography which is flawlessly preserved throughout the performance. Furthermore, there was an immaculate balance between dance and the acting of the storyline which was exquisitely maintained throughout. This means that you do not have to be an immense ballet fan or a ballet connoisseur to appreciate this compelling tale. Matthew Bourne is able to push the boundaries of a stereotypical ballet and it has some riskier and more mature undertones than a classical ballet. The audience was occupied with a variety of people both young adults and older adults; who were all captivated by the performance. This classic tale is well renown and makes it easier for a variety of ages to follow the ballet without being perplexed.

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is a heart-warming tale which is able to capture the tenderness, longing and trauma which the couple face in their journey to find one another and this is further dramatized by the severity of the war in the 1940’s. The blitz ravaged London was fully represented and put an innovative twist on a classic fairy-tale. He also perfectly combined the Hollywood glitz of London’s night life with the blitz ravaged London setting. The production took inspiration from several films including “A Matter of Life and Death” and “Waterloo Bridge.” The period design and the grey colour palette was an homage to black and white films which helped inspire the adaptation of Cinderella - The collaboration of the mise-en-scene with the dancing severely enhanced the performance. Furthermore, Joan Crawford who was one of his favourite 1940’s actresses inspired him and the Lez Brotherston to create the glamourous and flamboyant stepmother. Matthew Bourne was able to perfectly capture the trauma and severity of the war and London’s society was dancing on the edge of a precipice as the war threatened their very existence. 

The ballet was in three acts; where we were introduced to ‘the prince’ who was an injured RAF pilot named Harry who was seeking shelter when he stumbles across Cinderella’s family home and meets Cinderella for the first time. Instead of the traditional ‘fairy godmother’ there was a male angel who could be interpreted as the angel of death. His platinum blonde slick hair and the angel’s white satin suit as he glided across the stage with precision and elegance highlighted his imperative role in guiding Cinderella. Surprisingly, there were several stepbrothers, one naïve and young who continuously played with an airplane and the other was perverted and had a foot fetish and harassed Cinderella but he was able to enhance the importance of the lost glass slipper. The last stepbrother was a hopeless romantic who seemed nervous. His adaptation still had the traditional essence of Cinderella; the stepmother is wicked and authoritative and the two stepsisters are utterly besotted by the officers who had returned from war. This dysfunctional family of six accentuated how solitary Betty who played the part of ‘Cinderella’ felt. The audience was able to witness each characters’ development and journey throughout the ballet, it was flawless and seemed positively effortless. There were also small jokes interwoven throughout the ballet which were entertaining and humorous.

The tailor’s dummy which was brought to life was the most innovative scene as the mannequin cleverly changed into Harry dancing and gliding past a curtain. This enabled us to see what Cinderella was imagining when she was dancing with the tailor’s dummy which was ingenious and an exceptional scene.

The setting of the dreary and blitz ravaged London is unable to stop the romantic story of Cinderella.

As Cinderella and the pilot lose each other street patrol officers incorporated flashlights into their dance to illuminate the stage and act as a barrier to them finding each other.  However, they finally find each other in Café de Paris which is stated as Cinderella’s “dream and nightmare” in the program.  Café de Paris was inspired by true events as it was destroyed by two bombs on 8th March 1941. The cityscapes and the slanted props added to the individuality of the ballet. Incredibly, they were able to turn Café de Paris from a destroyed hall into a beautiful ballroom in just several seconds on the stage. The stage which was reduced to rubble and debris was transformed into an elegant Hollywood like ballroom made for socialites. The iconic ballroom scene when Cinderella glides down the stairs was perfectly enacted and everyone became fixated with her as she gracefully descended down the stairs. Dismembered bombshell which appeared in the stairs and monochromatic domestic interiors of the house and streets juxtaposed the interior of the glittering dance all of the Café de Paris.

 As the audience anticipated the reunion of the couple after losing each other during the Café de Paris scene, Harry comes across a prostitute filled train station.  This scene had mature undertones but was well performed. Matthew Bourne presents more mature themes within his adaptations than the traditional and conventional ballets but is tastefully translated onto stage.

Finally, Betty and Harry were able to have their blissful ending as they left on a train from Paddington station after getting married and shared tearful goodbyes with their families. During every scene there were several subplots which enabled the audience to see how the ‘royal’ couple ended up as well as the many other characters. In the final scene we see the male angel find another couple in need of his assistance.

Once again Matthew Bourne’s ballet production was inspiring, innovative and thought provoking.

Katie Trebes, The Sydney Russell School