Review: Cinders! is a fabulous fairytale delight at HMT
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The tinsel may be tucked away, and the fairy lights may have flickered off for another year but Scottish Ballet have brought the festive spirit, along with some glamour and glitter, to His Majesty’s Theatre this week with a revisit of their 2015 production of Cinderella, Cinders! writes Nicola Prise Porter.
Adapting the classic Cinderella fairytale, where an orphaned Cinderella meets her fairy godmother who transforms Cinderella’s simple dress and whisks her away to a ball, the plot follows the core tale of Cinderella meeting her Prince and they fall in love, but at the stroke of midnight the enchantment ends and as Cinderella flees she leaves behind one, solitary glass slipper leading the prince to searches high and low to find the girl whose foot will fit the slipper.
There may be a twist in the tale for some audience members though as the casting alternates between a female Cinders and a male Cinders on different nights of the week.
Will your Cinders be swept up in love for Prince Louis or Princess Louise?
Wednesday night’s Aberdeen performance was led by Bruno Micchiardi as Cinders, in this telling an orphan, whose parents’ shop has been taken over by the mean-spirited Mrs Thorne, with her three scene-stealing, ‘ugly’ children Morag, Flossie and Tarquin.
Although there has been a significant change in some of the plot of Cinders, this has not meant that there is any less romance, charm or style in the production and it bears all the hallmarks of a classic Christmas offering.
The programme promises that: ‘Regardless of which Cinders the audience will see, there remains a magical journey’ and this was certainly bourn out for Wednesday’s performance.
As my 10-year-old commented about Tarquin (Aaron Venegas) he (and the production) is ‘absolutely fabulous’!
Cinders! Runs at HMT until Saturday, January 27 with tickets from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com
