A beauty and originality where the dancers and the music hold you close, in a heartfelt hug.
Northern Ballet’s UK premier of Cinderella at The Theatre Royal is a perfect way to dip your cold autumn toe into the winter panto season. Delivering a spectacle that will warm you with its grace.
There might be a temptation to think that there is nothing new to see in this rag to riches tale of, stepsisters and glass slippers, but that is the power of a good story, and Northern Ballet. The familiarity of the tale allows you to sit easily within its walls and the choreography of Michael Pink delvers a beauty and originality where the dancers and the music hold you close, in a heartfelt hug.
Beginning in the confines of a cold household kitchen, Saeka Shirai as Cinderella, is left at the mercy of her stepmother and stepsisters following the death of her mother.
At her side is Harris Beattie as Jack, her guardian angel and, in the stead of a fairy godmother, the spirit of her deceased mum, danced by Heather Lehan in a comforting puff of smoke.
As they make their way through the fireplace the stage opens out into an enchanted garden where four caged mice become horses, and a pumpkin becomes a starlit carriage. Clothed in a fairytale dress, the unsaid never needs to be spoken ‘Cinderella, you shall go to the ball.’
In this delight of a production the skill of the dancers is astounding, and the absence of a standout performance is testament only to the brilliance of the ensemble.
Yu Wakizuka and Andrew Tomlinson, as the stepsisters are preposterous rather than wicked, which adds the joy of comedic warmth. Whilst the tradition is kept of male dancers playing these female roles, gender ambiguity is never a source of ridicule, and their acting and dance offers a much more entertaining flourish than this.
The stepmother, danced by Alessia Petrosino, with her white quiff is reminiscent of Cruella DeVille, and her evil ways were warmly received with a pantomime ‘boo’ at the final bow. The loudest applause was rightly given to the orchestra. Prokofiev’s expressive and ever-changing musical score transports the audience and the dancers from loss to love through moments of silliness and reminiscence. An authenticity of experience that is reliant on the excellence of this live performance.
Everything you want in a fairytale is to be found here, including a final happy ending with glitter and tutus. In this is a deeply romantic production Cinderella and Jonathan Hanks, as the prince deliver a remarkable love story. Their journey from infatuation to intimacy is simply told, within one dance, offering up an exposition of devotion, that is extremely moving.
Whether you are a ballet devotee or a first timer, it is always a joy to see the brilliance of Northern Ballet in Nottingham. There is something truly unrivalled in their productions, and in Cinderella we were gifted with an expressive beauty, laced with a much-needed tender sense of hope.
Northern Ballet's premiere of Cinderella played at Nottingham's Theatre Royal on October 24 2026, now touring.
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