World Ballet Series: Cinderella at Fred Kavli Theatre

The well-known story of Cinderella, is of course, of a young woman whose domineering stepmother, who forces her to be a servant in her own home. Among her normal household chores, Cinderella is forced into helping her stepmother and her two stepsisters, prepare for the Spring Ball. It is rumored that the Prince will choose his bride-to-be at the forthcoming festivities. Ever since her father's remarried, Cinderella has been forced to sleep by the fireplace in the kitchen, with less than rags as bedding and clothing, invariably covered in ash from her daily cook fires.

Not having got over the loss of his first wife, the man finds himself as much under the stepmother's control as Cinderella. The stepmother and two unruly sisters have been preparing for the Prince’s ball, and during supper, a beggar woman arrives at the house, begging for a little shelter. The ladies of the house try to chase her off, but Cinderella, taking pity on the beggar, offers to share her place by the kitchen fire, and the comfort of an old pair of slippers. The beggar thanks her for her kindness and departs, leaving the ladies to resume their ball preparations. The ungrateful and unhelpful three, change into their finery, and the family set off for the evening, with the father, reluctantly in tow.

Cinderella is left behind at the house. Cinderella cheers herself with a broom and imagines herself dancing with the Prince, rather than a broom. She is surprised when the old beggar lady returns. Cinderella is amazed when her slippers have been replaced with glass dancing slippers. The old beggar woman reveals herself to be Cinderella's fairy godmother, having come to grant Cinderella, her wish of going to the ball. She, magically, turns Cinderella's rags into a beautiful ball gown. A pumpkin, magically, becomes a splendid carriage, pulled by a team of magnificent horses, that were, a short while ago, several mice. Some grasshoppers are transformed into service as footmen. As she steps up into the carriage, and is about to leave for the ball, the fairy godmother warns her that the magic will only last until midnight, and then everything will revert to its original form. With this warning being the last thing on her mind, Cinderella leaves for the Spring Ball.

At the Ball, the two stepsisters unsuccessfully attempt to show off their dancing skills, displaying some dismal results. A little later in the evening, the Prince joins the celebrations, but he finds these state events such a bore. He declines any offers to dance. It is at this point in the evening that Cinderella makes her entrance, and arrives at the palace, transformed beyond recognition. The Prince, along with everyone else, is entranced by the arrival of this unknown beauty, and he immediately asks her to dance. The two become inseparable.

Cinderella, in her happiness, has completely forgotten about the fairy godmother warning and the time. As the first stroke of midnight sounds, Cinderella suddenly remembers the warning, and flees the ballroom. The Prince sets off in pursuit, but the beautiful young lady has vanished into the night. But alas, not before she loses one of her glass slippers. The Prince is heartbroken, but on finding the lost slipper, he vows never to rest until he can find the person who wore the slipper. Every shoemaker in the realm is summoned, to find out who the slipper was made for, but none of them claim to have crafted the shoe. This convinces him that the dancer must be from a foreign land, and travels across the world meeting various beautiful princesses, all with no success. The Prince returns to search his own kingdom one last time.

Cinderella can only believe that the Spring Ball must have been a lovely dream, until she finds the remaining glass slipper. Now she realizes that her dream is all true, and at breakfast, her stepmother tells of the news that the Prince is on his way to their house, desperately trying to find the owner of the glass slipper. On the arrival at their house, he tries the slipper on the two feet of the two stepsisters, to no avail. The stepmother demands to be given a chance, and orders Cinderella to help her. As Cinderella bends down to help the stepmother, the remaining glass slipper falls from her pocket, and the Prince recognizes Cinderella. The Prince and Cinderella are whisked away to a secret garden by the fairy godmother, where they confess their love for one another and are happily married.