Cinderella Scottish Ballet: Review

Cinderella
(Scottish Ballet)

This well-loved tale of rags to riches was a brave choice for reappraisal by the Scottish Ballet and their new choreographer, Ashley Page. Sir Frederick Ashton's 1948 'Cinderella' hasn't left much room for improvement and the comedic dancing of Anthony Dowell and Wayne Sleep as the Ugly Sisters cast a large, hook-nosed shadow in the path of new adaptations. Nevertheless Page has created an ambitious and magical ballet that has almost as much punch as the Royal Ballet version. The company makes a valiant effort, but there are signs of overstretching. Claire Robertson as Cinders and Fairy Godmother Soon Ja Lee shine, their fine technique and luminosity grabbing the audience's attention along with the lavish costumes they wear to the ball, but many of the other outfits are disappointing. Anthony McDonald's design is sumptuous, but the prevalence of neon bright pinks and yellows is garish and tawdry. On the whole the ballet and the dancers sparkle, but at the edges the seams are already beginning to show. [Alisa Mandrigin]