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Page reworks the symbolic aspect of Ashton’s ballet, shifting the emphasis from the broom-as-partner of Act I to the central emblem of the shoe, painted on the frontcloth as a lens through which we view the opening tableaux, and used as a means to spur on the narrative. Cinderella (Soon Ja Lee) is literally stripped of her riches by her stepmother (Limor Ziv) and stepsisters (Kara McLaughlin and Louisa Hassell), and left barefoot, pining after her mother, who appears in due time in the form of the Godmother (Eve Mutso). Page’s emphasis on Cinderella’s lost mother somehow takes away from the fact that it is a fairy tale, and makes it a more human and less magical tale, agreeably bringing it into the 21st Century.

Page’s choreography included several affectionate nods to Ashton, notably the beginning and ending sections of Summer’s solo and Cinderella’s manege at the end of her Act II solo, and the whole production was infused with the sense that it was a reworking, using Ashton’s Cinderella as a referential base, as opposed to a totally new production. The decision to use women instead of men as the ugly sisters (carefully renamed simply ‘stepsisters’ in the programme), allowed for some interesting pas de deux work, as did the inclusion of Cinderella’s father in the proceedings. Some of the partnering sections between Cinderella and her father were surprisingly touching and effectively showed his despair at being trapped in a depressing world of money-grabbing women.

The sisters were physically violent rather than being imbued with the physical comedy provided by their male portrayers. They are the perpetrators of some of the darkest comedy in the production, such as the maiming of their feet so they can fit the shoe and the smearing of Cinderella’s mother’s ashes on her face as part of their abuse of her. The extreme nature of these ideas, along with the sisters’ eyes being pecked out as their punishment for their cruelty to Cinderella, made me slightly anxious on the behalf of all the parents with excited young children.

The shoes-for-shoes exchange is clumsily planned out, and the ball and its preparatory scenes seem devoid of any focal point or connection between the various groups of characters and the principal couple. Page’s choreography is slightly repetitive; he overuses the pointe-plie and attitude devant, and litters this ‘classical base’ with body ripples and flexed feet which seem out of place.

The company generally looks good, with some dancers standing out as exceptional. I loved Adam Blyde and Luke Ahmet as the Dancing Master and the Equerry, with their mischievous glances and sexual tension. While the sisters are vying for the Dancing Master’s attention in Act I, he seems more interested in the Equerry, and throughout the ballet they affectionately support each other, one fanning the other with a feather fan, or carrying him offstage; they even steal a quick kiss during the ball. Blyde and Ahmet get the balance of campness and skilled comedic acting just right – Blyde’s entrance is witty, stylish and musical, and he shows a light, neat technique and beautiful line while being almost mockingly careful in his poise. Ahmet displays similarly beautiful line and deliciously witty acting, and he and Blyde make an exciting and technically beautiful pair on stage – perhaps this is due to their training, only a year apart at the Royal Ballet School.

Eve Mutso as the Godmother displays exemplary technique, with amazing control, beautiful legs, feet and arms, and very quiet shoes. She effectively commands the stage, and even her walks are executed with acute precision while being stunningly graceful. She provides a much needed dash of charisma where the principals fail to.
 

Soon Ja Lee is disappointing as Cinderella. Her technique is strong but her acting and expression fail to impress. In Act I there was an element of joyousness as she danced for the portrait of her deceased mother, but her transformation, her encounter with the Prince, and her subsequent transformation and discovery are all carried out with very little dynamic or enthusiasm. There is no chemistry between her and her Prince, Brice Bardot, who made a suitably dramatic entrance then proceeded to forget his steps. They scarcely acknowledge each other in the Ball scene, and their first meeting passes uneventfully – there are no sparks flying, no lingering looks. They are not in love, they are just dancing together. When the clock strikes twelve, Lee is seemingly unperturbed, and there is no sense of panic.

The stepsisters, Kara McLaughlin and Louisa Hassel, manage to maintain their obnoxious characters while performing technically difficult solos at the Ball. Martina Forioso as Spring is impressively energetic, while the six ‘Cogs’ are well rehearsed and technically sound.

Antony McDonald’s sets and costumes are comical and loud. There are nice touches such as the dishes piled nearly to the ceiling and the fridge at the back of the stage, but after the brightly coloured first act the Ball is pleasingly stark, leaving just the characters and their egos to battle it out for stage-space. The divide between the dancing of the corps and the dancing of the principals is not helped by the fact that their costumes are counter-complementary. The brash glamour of the corps is reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann’s films, and it sometimes seems like McDonald has tried too hard to make the physical comedy be disseminated through the costumes rather than through the dancing.

The production is so very mixed that it is difficult to draw a conclusive opinion from it. An enjoyable evening: not so suitable for the sensitive due to its sometimes shockingly dark comedy. There is some top notch dancing, but by the same token, some of it is very disappointing. Page’s ballet still looks fresh from the studio, and it has a lot of potential to evolve into something masterful with careful editing and better casting; it is still well worth seeing.