Northern Ballet weaved a magical spell over Manchester last night with their enchanting performance of the much loved classic fairy-tale, Cinderella.
With stunning sets (Duncan Hayler) and superb choreography (David Nixon) Northern Ballet succeed in making a familiar story seem new, exciting and utterly gorgeous.
Artistic director David Nixon has created a delicious Imperial Russia-themed Cinderella, with sumptuous costumes, frozen lakes, grand ballrooms and just the right sprinkling of magic and illusion. This fantasy world is quite simply captivating.
We follow Cinderella as she travels from bright-eyed carefree young girl to lonely yet loving pot washer forced to scrub pans in the dank kitchen whilst her wicked step-mother (Jessica Morgan) thwarts any attempts to have fun. Thankfully for Cinderella all is not lost as mysterious and fascinating Magician, (Hironao Takahashi) comes to her rescue ensuring that she shall go to the ball.
Martha Leebolt is the most perfect Cinderella, she beams with joy as she glides around the stage with Prince Mikhail (Tobias Batley) she is elegant, cheeky and enthralling. Cinderella’s step-sisters, Natasha and Sofia, portrayed by Hannah Bateman and Rachael Gillespie are fantastic, mischievous, spoilt and devilishly playful; the one thing they are most certainly not however in this version of the classic fairy-tale is ugly!
The Northern Ballet Sinfonia conducted by John Pryce Jones play Philip Feeny’s specially commissioned score beautifully, perfectly complimenting the seamless onstage performances.
Northern Ballet have succeeded in making a truly magical piece of theatre, with audience members ranging from young girls in pink sparkly dresses to Grandmothers wrapped up against the cold, Cinderella has something for everyone, a truly memorable production which will I’m sure enchant all who are lucky enough to see it.
Showing at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until Saturday 22nd November
atgtickets.com/shows/cinderella/palace-theatre-manchester/
