Cinderella by Ben Stevenson

Choreography by Ben Stevenson, O.B.E

Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Stage Design by Thomas Boyd

Lighting Design by Tony Tucci

Costume Design by Dominic Walsh

General Répétiteur: Li Anlin (Guest)

World Premiere: National Ballet of Washington, D.C., 1970

China Premiere: National Ballet of China, Beijing Tianqiao Theatre, September 28th, 2018

Produced and Performed by National Ballet of China

Producer and Artistic Director: Feng Ying

Stage Supervisors: Zhang Bingzhi, Wang Duo

Lighting Operators: Liu Zhao, Han Song

Costume Supervisor: Yue Songshan

Make-up and Stylist: Xu Bin

Synopsis of Cinderella

Act I

Cinderella's stepmother, father and stepsisters are busy planning for the palace ball. Cinderella enters and is ordered to clean the room. She picks up the broom, starts to sweep, then takes a portrait of her mother from its hiding place and gazes at it longingly. Her father returns and is overcome with remorse when he sees the resemblance between Cinderella and his first wife. His daughter lovingly tries to reassure him, but they are dragged apart by the stepsisters, who also snatch away the picture.

Suddenly, the door opens and an old beggar-woman enters. The stepmother gives her the picture of Cinderella's mother to get rid of it, but the beggar hands it back to her. Cinderella offers the old woman some bread, which she accepts and then departs. A dress maker and wigmaker arrive to dress the stepsisters for the ball. Then a master attempts to teach the stepsisters to dance. The family departs for the ball, without Cinderella who must remain behind. She tries to console her loneliness by pretending that the kitchen broom is her partner at the ball, but she bursts into tears. The beggar-woman returns and changes into a fairy godmother. She transforms the kitchen into a forest, complete with dragonflies swooping the trees.

 The fairy godmother gives Cinderella a pair of glass slippers. The fairies of spring, summer, autumn and winter perform for her, changing the seasons as they dance. Cinderella's rags become a beautiful gown. The fairy godmother warns her that at midnight the magic gown will change back into her rags. She then magically transforms a pumpkin and four lizards into a coach and horses, and Cinderella is driven to the ball like a princess.

Act II

At the palace, a jester welcomes the arriving guests. The prince enters and greets them, then invites each of the stepsisters to dance with him. The ball is interrupted by the arrival of Cinderella in her coach, and the prince immediately falls in love with her. The guests are offered oranges, the rarest fruit in the land, and when one of the stepsisters is left without one, Cinderella gives up her own while concealing her identity. The price and Cinderella are dancing together, when the clock strikes midnight. Cinderella's clothes turn to rags and she rushes from the ballroom. The prince finds one of her glass slippers left behind.

Act III

Back in the kitchen, Cinderella remembers the ball as a beautiful dream and finds the remaining glass slipper in one of her pockets. She quickly hides it as the stepsisters return, proudly displaying the oranges from the prince. The stepmother announces the arrival of the prince in search of the owner of the glass slipper. Each of the stepsisters try to squeeze their oversized foot into the tiny slipper. When the prince notices Cinderella, her asks her father if she may try it on. As she moves to do so, the second slipper falls from her pocket. The prince is overjoyed and asks her to marry him. Cinderella forgives her stepmother and stepsisters.

As the prince returns the glass slipper to the fairy godmother, the kitchen is transformed into a magical field where Cinderella and her prince dance a romantic pas de deux. The guests return to celebrate their new princess.