Cinderella (La Cenerentola) – quick links
The story of Cinderella has been many things – a fairy tale, a pantomime, a ballet, a Lloyd Webber musical, and a romantic opera by Gioachino Rossini. Now it’s a modern opera, sung in English with a translation by Christopher Cowell replacing the Italian libretto by Jacopo Ferretti.
It is a brave move by English National Opera to entrust its first major production of the season to a reworking of such a beloved story, especially with a stable of creatives making their company debuts, including conductor Yi-Chen Lin, director Julia Burbach and lead Deepa Johnny.
ENO takes risks with Rossini’s overlooked opera
Cinderella (La Cenerentola) opens to a black-and-white negative projection of a flashy two-storey home as the ENO orchestra flexed its musical muscles in a pacy overture. Yi-Chin Lin is clearly at home with the score giving a supple and lively performance.
It is some 50 years since the ENO last performed La Cenerentola which seems a shame given the loveliness of Rossini’s score. Although obviously overshadowed by his two greatest hits, The Barber of Seville and William Tell, there is a lot to love here. Sung in Italian, it’s really beautiful and very touching. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Cowell’s translation.
The English wording in this production is often trite. Making the words fit to the music is clearly a challenge; even the most accomplished singer would stumble over some of the phrasing. Originally written as a dramma giocoso, literally a drama with jokes, this production is more of a panto for the grown-ups.
Then there are concerns about how the themes of the story translate to a modern setting. Cinderella’s stepfather and stepsisters treat her appallingly. As in the fairytale, she is basically their servant. And all three young women are desperate to get their man. None of this sits particularly well in a contemporary rendition of the story.
Not all fairytales have happy endings
All of this is a real shame because there are some strong elements here. The ENO male chorus are wonderful and hilarious as the family ancestors who come to life from their portraits on the wall. The set, designed by Herbert Murauer, is stylish and works well and the costumes, by Sussie Juhlin-Wallén, are bold and beautiful.
It is curious we never see Cinderella’s marvellous dress that’s made from discarded clothing – it’s on the program and all over the marketing materials but nowhere to be seen on stage.
The principals are also good, especially Deepa Johnny who really excels as Cinders in the second half and has a magnificent vocal ornamentation for such a young singer. Charles Rice performs as Dandini, the Prince’s valet who spends most the show pretending to be the Prince, and brings real character to his role, managing his tongue-twisting lines with flair, and the wonderful David Ireland is strong and charming but sadly under-used, as Alidor.
There is also a vivacious dance ensemble to fill out various scenes and dance captain Sarah Storer, an accomplished ballet dancer and choreographer, is a delight as Cinderella’s mother-in-spirit. The troupe of cheeky little mouse children are a fun addition and speak to the opera’s fairytale origins.
The acoustics at the London Coliseum often seem unhelpful, especially when the singers are set back on the stage. All of the singers suffer from an apparent lack of projection; in turn, this means the orchestra must be a little subdued. I longed to hear the singers, and the musicians, in full voice.
There is, of course, a happy ending, but even this is problematic as Cinderella labours the point that she is taking the moral high ground in forgiving her family for their mistreatment.
La Cenerentola is an enchanting opera but this production sits awkwardly at the intersection of opera and musical theatre. It looks fabulous and has some sparkling elements – it just needs a magical fairy-godmother to make it something really special.
