Australian ballet in Ratmansky's Cinderella

AUSTRALIAN BALLET RATMANSKY’S CINDERELLA
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE DECEMBER 2018
I attended 3 December 2018

A most exciting, terrifically danced revival of the Ratmanksy Cinderella by the Australian Ballet has opened at the Sydney Opera House.

While I still have some reservations, this year’s revival is visually exciting and is a great showcase for the company.

The Orchestra under the dynamic baton of Nicolette Fraillon was in lush, fine form performing Prokofiev’s rich , driven , hypnotic score.

Ratmansky’s version of Cinderella tells the traditional fairy tale of Cinderella , with a few slight twists . Here the step mother is haughty,vain and very pushy- falsely ‘ charming ‘ and atrocious, viciously bullying - as wickedly delightfully danced by Dana Stephensen . The two horrible stepsisters – one tall and skinny with a very high hairdo ( Ingrid Gow ) and the other shorter and dumpy (Jill Ogai) are presented as rather cartoonish . All three have excellent comic timing .

Ratmansky’s choreography is at times incredibly demanding and acrobatic , flowing , spiralling sinuous and expansive , with some very testing lifts . There are There is fine ensemble work throughout especially in the big ballroom scenes .

Leanne Stojmenov as Cinderella was magnificent, in radiantly fine form and we follow her story from drudgery and grief to happiness .She handled the at times almost impossibly difficult choreography easily.

Our elegant Prince was Ty King-Wall who scintillated with effortlessly amazing turns , cabrioles and batterie . At first the Prince appears to be a superficial self absorbed playboy , but we discover that underneath he is really quite a romantic.

The Fairy Godmother ( in disguise , wearing a long coat and a bowler hat – a nod to Magritte ? ) – as danced by Gillian Revie - controls events eventually leading to the happy ending .

The rest of the supporting cast - eg Cinderella’s poor father, dominated by his new wide and driven to drink (Tristan Message) , the refined elegant but perhaps somewhat effete nimble dancing master ( Brodie James ) and the dashing quartet of the Prince’s friends , for instance - were all splendidly portrayed.

The passage of the planets, as manipulated by the Fairy Godmother ,was very well done .For me the costumes were at times perhaps reminiscent of some from the Ballets Russes of the 1930’s/40’s.
I quite liked the mysterious way that what appeared to be a topiary garden was in fact regimented lines of Surrealist metronomes that turned into the hours .The clock at midnight scene section was most effectively handled.

The two main set designs – the kitchen at Cinderella’s home , with a fireplace , and huge portrait of Cinderella’s mother that slides on/off ( and look out for the Marilyn Monroe red lips sofa , and the
stool designed as heled human legs ! ) and the elegant , huge marbled palace ballroom were wonderfully designed by Jerome Kaplan. Various projections are also used : eg fractured repeated versions of the portrait of Cinderella’s mother and during the Prince’s travels searching for Cinderella ( plane , train , car and ocean liner ).

Costumes (also by Kaplan) are glorious at times bold ,bright and colourful . Cinderella’s ballgown is elegant , shimmering silver , contrasting with her drab ,grey, stuck at home outfit. Aa comic touch is added when the female courtiers at the ball are all in beautifully cut elegant trouser suits and the Stepmother and Stepsisters arrive in dresses. Then they get changed to trouser suits, return and discover the female courtiers are in classy frocks.

A scintillating way to end 2018 .
https://australianballet.com.au/the-ballets/cinderella
running time allow roughly 2 hours 45 minutes including 2 intervals
The Australian Ballet in Ratmansky’s Cinderella runs at the Opera House 30 November – 19 December 2018 .

Conductor Nicolette Fraillon
Cinderella Leanne Stojmenov The Prince Ty King-Wall Cinderella’s Stepmother Dana Stephensen Skinny Stepsister Ingrid Gow Dumpy Stepsister Jill Ogai