San Francisco Ballet - "Cinderella"

-->

San Francisco Ballet

Cinderella

War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Sat, January 25^th (matinee)

Frances Chung and Joseph Walsh in
Wheeldon's Cinderella©
Photo © Erik Tomasson

Do you ever watch a story ballet and ponder whether the expected outcome will actually transpire? Might Romeo and Juliet finally live happily ever after this time? Will Siegfried discover that Odile is part of Von Rothbart’s diabolical plot before it’s too late? Perhaps Aurora can avoid Carabosse’s spindle? When I am filled with such questions, I know I’m witnessing a great story ballet. Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella is one of those greats. Every time I see it, including at this viewing, I’m on the edge of my seat wondering if Cinderella and Prince Guillaume will find their way to each other. A co-production between San Francisco Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet, the work features amazing design, stunning effects, riveting storytelling and above all, gripping choreography. When Cinderella debuted at SFB in 2013, it became an instant hit, and will surely be part of the repertory for decades to come.

There is much to love in Wheeldon’s Cinderella. Starting with the prologue, which is inspired. In the first few scenes, the viewer meets all the main characters years in the past. You see Cinderella and her father lose her mother and grieve that loss. You see Prince Guillaume and his friend Benjamin’s youthful mischief morph into expected duty and responsibility. While short, these early scenes provide such brilliant context and help one understand what drives the main characters. Cinderella quickly fast-forwards, the children grow up (through theatrical magic) and the ballet’s plot really gets going. As Cinderella, Frances Chung gave a genuine and vulnerable performance from start to finish, but a standout solo was at her mother’s gravesite. Running the gamut from sorrowful port de bras to playful sissones, the variation was a clearly her way of conversing with her mother. Her way of sharing her life, and all its ups and downs, with someone who isn’t physically in the same realm any longer. Soon after, her father (Tiit Helimets) arrives with her new family: stepmother Hortensia and stepsisters Edwina and Clementine. Portrayed by Sarah Van Patten, Elizabeth Powell and Ellen Rose Hummel respectively, each turned in a winning interpretation, equal parts evil, sly and at times, hilarious. More superlative performances came from Esteban Hernandez as Benjamin (his leaping acumen always astounds me), and Joseph Walsh as Prince Guillaume, who was the epitome of gallantry in every movement and gesture. And of course the enchanted forest! Absent are any friendly mice helping Cinderella ready for the ball, instead Wheeldon created a magical tapestry of characters and spirits to lead the transformation.

Act II brings us to said event, and what a lavish affair it is! The corps de ballet was as vibrant as their gorgeous gemstone costumes, designed by Julian Crouch. And so many unexpected delights imbued the choreography – the use of parallel in Cinderella’s solo and the quiet, still passé balances that countered the Prince’s bravura jumps. The shorter Act III is all about Guillaume’s journey to find the foot that fits the shoe left at the ball. It includes another clever prologue, where various members of the kingdom try-on the item, their empty chairs eventually rising to the ceiling in a huge suspended arc, almost like a mini proscenium arch further framing the action. Eventually, Cinderella and Guillaume find each other and marry, symbolized by a beautiful design moment where the chandeliers from the ball descend through a giant tree, the tree that had been planted years before at her mother’s grave.        

As wonderful as the performance was, unfortunately the experience of being at the theater was anything but. I rarely comment on this kind of thing, but this time, it’s necessary. Patrons, fans, subscribers, please, please, please remember that if you’re at a weekend matinee where the ballet is based on a children’s fairy tale, children will be in the audience. This was Cinderella after all. And in a month or so, SFB is slated to revive George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, another full-length narrative that is being billed “for all ages.” Be kind. Be gracious. Be welcoming. It doesn’t cost you anything. Foster artistic curiosity. Don’t thwart it because you somehow feel inconvenienced.