Glyndebourne’s Cinderella (Cendrillon) at the New Victoria Theatre Woking Review

Reviewed by Paul Charlesworth

Jules Massenet wrote at least twenty-five operas, but for many years his rather intimate, late romantic style of opera was out of favour and, apart from his better-known works, such as Manon and Werther, performances were rare.

As often happens, however, in more recent years there has been a reappraisal of his importance and a resurgence of interest in a broader range of his output. Fortunately for us, performances of works such as Cinderella (Cendrillon) are now more frequent. In fact, a production of Cinderella by New York’s Metropolitan Opera has very recently been screened live around the world.

The opera is based on a version of the familiar, traditional story, but in order to give Cinderella and the Prince space for a romantic duet, an extended woodland dream sequence is included at the end of Act III.

This production, directed by Fiona Shaw, who seems to be all over our televisions at the moment (Killing Eve, True Blood), is given a modern setting which supports the characters’ performances well. What don’t always work so well are the extraneous, symbolic devices and bits of stage business that have been introduced, sometimes rather clumsily, and which tend to clutter the production and distract from a story which, certainly within the world of opera, is virtuous in its simplicity. The whole fairy tale is thus presented as Cinderella’s dream, in which she is constantly and sometimes confusingly present, often as an observer or her childhood self.

Massenet casts Prince Charming, in pantomime tradition, as a mezzo-soprano. Such theatrical conventions introduce inherent gender ambiguity, but we don’t need to be beaten around the head with it. There is other symbolism and stage business, much of which I’m afraid was lost on me.

What is in no doubt, however, is the beauty of Massenet’s music and the quality of the performances in this production. In particular, the scenes involving Cinderella, performed by Alix Le Saux, and the prince (Elénore Pancrazi) are sung with conviction and tenderness and Caroline Wettergreen’s singing as the fairy queen is at times heart-rending. Cinderella’s stepmother (Agnes Zweirko) has most of the laughs as she swaggers about the stage in her corsets and endeavours to get her daughters married off to the Prince. William Dazeley the henpecked husband and Cinderella’s father, is convincingly both ineffectual and caring.

Jon Bausor’s clever set involving revolving mirrors works well in creating a dream-like, other-worldly environment and the Glyndebourne Touring Orchestra under the baton of Duncan Ward are pretty much faultless in their support of the stage action and singing.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable production and, in spite of any misgivings about the complexity of Fiona Shaw’s vision, there are moments of spectacular theatre. Most of all though, the music and singing carry the day.

The Glyndebourne tour will finish with La Traviata and Cinderella at Milton Keynes theatre next week. If you are not able to get to any of this year’s productions, do look out for the 1919 Glyndebourne tour, when the company will be performing operas from Verdi’s Rigoletto, Handel’s Rinaldo and Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amour. Starting at Glydebourne, the tour will then visit Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Woking and Norwich between 27th October and 1st December. Book early to get the best deals.

Rating: 4/5

For other shows at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking visit www.atgtickets.com/new-victoria-theatre or call the box office on 0844 871 7645.

New Victoria Theatre, The Ambassadors, Peacocks Centre, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6GQ