Review: Cinderella at Newcastle Theatre Royal

“…a heartwarming show that will appeal to all ages…”

Cinderella by Northern Ballet, Newcastle Theatre Royal

By Kay Wilson

This Northern Ballet performance of Cinderella is an enjoyable interpretation of one of our most well-loved children’s fairy tales. Choreographed by Michael Pink, who used to be the Associate Artistic Director of Northern Ballet, the story takes the audience on an emotional journey where good has to face down evil.

The music by Prokofiev set the perfect mood for the performance right from the opening scene when Cinderella visits her mother’s grave, with her father and new family. Cinderella was beautifully played by Saeka Shirai. Hiding in the trees nearby was her mother’s spirit, watching over her beloved daughter.

Returning to her home, Cinderella’s life of drudgery and bullying is laid bare in the stark palace kitchen. The simple set looked like a scene from a children’s storybook with the open fire a clever device and exploited to good effect. It was the place to hide her special things and for her later transformation into princess.

Cinderella’s stepsisters, Yu Wakizuka and Andrew Tomlinson, were fantastic and almost stole the show from the principal dancers. They had immaculate comic timing and hit every slapstick note the music gifted them, which added to the hilarious chaos every time they were on stage. What was particularly impressive was, despite the funny stomping around, both men were also able to perform occasional, beautiful classical ballet shapes, a perfect contrast to the humour.

Special mention must also go to Alessia Petrosino, the stepmother. She played the part with real venom and was formidable in her control of Cinderella’s father. What was even more impressive was that, being a ballet, she had no dialogue to help with her portrayal.

Cinderella has a friend and soulmate, Jack, played by Harris Beattie, which worked well to ensure the plot doesn’t overload the sadness of the storyline. He is also a link to her mother’s spirit and has the energy of a sprite.

The unique Cinderella story’s magic really begins with the appearance of Cinderella’s spirit mother and subsequent much-anticipated transformation into a princess with a sparkling ballgown. When the jewelled carriage arrives to take our heroine to the ball, there was a real hush over the whole auditorium.

As the Prince, well-played by Jonathan Hanks, dances with Cinderella, it is spellbinding and the audience are swept away with the very believable romance of the performance.

This scene had a real touch of magic to it thanks to the dancers’ performances, shimmering costumes, choreography and the clever set design, especially the all-important clock and the musical score. When midnight strikes, the tension has been very cleverly built up by the guests nearly stopping Cinderella from leaving on time.

As the Prince tries to find the owner of the glass slipper, the stepsisters again come into their own with hilarious consequences. Their slapstick dancing is a perfect foil for the formality of the Prince’s aides.

The one note of the performance which didn’t sit right with me was the stepmother slapping Cinderella across the face in the later part of the evening and her father’s lack of response to this outrageous behaviour. After this incident Cinderella then went up and hugged him. She was so vulnerable at that point, and we had seen so much cruelty towards her, I felt the performance had enough of a strong message without it.

Nevertheless, Cinderella’s vulnerability and kindness in the face of her step-family’s cruelty really helped create a strong emotional connection with the audience, who, even though we know the outcome, were still rooting for a happy ending. The finale had glitter thrown in the air and a lovely celebratory atmosphere, although I was a bit disappointed that there was no dramatic, huge gown for Cinderella.

Northern Ballet’s performance of Cinderella has many magical elements to it and captures the importance of kindness. It is a heartwarming show that will appeal to all ages.

Cinderella plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday, 31 October. Tickets are available here.

Kay Wilson is a North East-based writer. She won Runner-Up in the Self-Published category at the Comedy Women in Print awards for her debut novel, The Stand-Up Mam. It was inspired by her own experience of performing comedy for two years and charts the adventures of a perfect mother who does stand-up. It transforms her but blows up family life. Described as ‘hilarious and heart-warming’, signed copies can be bought at The Bound bookshop, Whitley Bay. The novel is also available on Amazon here. Kay has a website which promotes extraordinary women and gives updates on her writing life.