HQ Review: Saint Louis Ballet presents “Cinderella”
This April, Saint Louis Ballet presented Cinderella, marking Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi’s fifth staging of the ballet. During the Sunday matinee, the theater lobby was full of young families, including many little girls in sparkling dresses and tiaras, filing enthusiastically into their seats.
The performance was led by Olivia Cornelius as Cinderella, and Michael Burke as her prince. Cinderella is, of course, based on the classic Grimm fairy tale and has been adapted for ballet many times. Each version reflects its era, but the central story of resilience and transformation remains unchanged. Olivia, as Cinderella, was precise, efficient, and elegant, with expressive eyes, quick feet, and lithe arm movements. She floated through even the most challenging sections of her part with poise and precision, her willowy arms never betraying effort or strain.
The curtain came up to Cinderella's brisk movements; broom in hand, dancing in her tattered dress. Then the two stepsisters, played by Amy Herchenroether and Lauren Kot, entered. Demanding, cruel, and bumbling, the two rollicked and skidded around the stage. What followed was a humorous attempt at a dance lesson and a deliciously chaotic dress fitting in preparation for the approaching ball. The audience was responsive throughout the performance and in this particular scene let out giggles at the introduction of these two iconic mean girls in all their absurdity.
The mice were an especially big hit with the matinee audience: the six dancers scampered onto the stage and sat in a semicircle around Cinderella, serving as a makeshift audience to her dancing. After every bout of deft leaping or quick turns, the group of mice responded with their own simple swaying and darting around the stage.
The Fairy Godmother, played by Lauren Christensen, offered a gentle stage presence, light and ethereal. She was an interesting contrast to Cinderella's sinewy precision. The Fairy Godmother was accompanied by four attendant fairies, each representing one of the four seasons. A lull in the storytelling occurred here to allow each to have a brief solo. The Autumn Fairy, danced by Julia Heiss, was especially engaging and dynamic. There followed an especially delightful scene of the mice, now transformed into royal attendants, attempting to become better acquainted with their human bodies and movement. Playful and endearing, the scene showcased some excellent comedic timing by dancers Scarlett Barone, Natalie Bowman, Grace Brown, Annabelle Cook, Natalie Glassie, and Ava Schandlbauer.
In the ballroom, the stepsisters’ comedic characters really came to life. They are each presented to the Prince and respond by swinging him around the room mercilessly, each vying for his attention. The two knock into other dancers in their attempts, sending them flying across the stage. The seeming loss of control and mayhem on stage is especially humorous in a ballet with such poised dancing in other scenes. The stepsister’s grand moment ended in slapstick tones with one sister’s legs straight up in the air and the others splayed beneath her as she plopped inelegantly to the floor.
A sequence during the Prince’s search for Cinderella relied on culturally coded caricature and felt somewhat outdated, momentarily pulling the production out of the present. The Court Jester, though, played by Jared Cordova, was a standout presence in both the earlier ballroom scenes and the search sequence for his impressive leaps, comedic timing, and easy stage presence. Whether he was dancing with the Prince in virtuosic jumps and turns, or in a brief but memorable duet with the Fairy Godmother, he remained enjoyable throughout.
The final scene opened to a black backdrop peppered with small red lights. The lovers found each other in the center of the crowded stage. As the lights closed in around them, a golden shimmer of glitter cascaded from the ceiling to audible gasps from the audience. The two dancers continued to move together in their circle of light while the curtain fell.
Cinderella the ballet is full of physical comedy, has an easily followed storyline which moves at a good clip, and is a well-loved tale of a girl in rags who is transformed into a sparkling princess. Saint Louis Ballet’s version was an enjoyable production with engaging choreography, impressive sets and costumes, and dynamic performances. A number of little girls left the theater twirling and jumping; the magic of the ballet had done its work.
Photos by Pratt + Kreidich Photography