Review - Matthew Bourne's Cinderella at Milton Keynes Theatre

This is not your usual fairy-tale story, told in the normal fairy-tale way. This is not your usual ballet, shown in the normal balletic style.
Matthew Bourne's CinderellaMatthew Bourne's Cinderella
Matthew Bourne's Cinderella

This is however, a romantically dark toned version of Cinderella, set in 1940s Britain during the Blitz, which will leave you in awe of the skilled dancers, amazed by the set design but somewhat confused by the recreation of a classic story.

Visually, this production was amazing. Going from the initial house where Cinderella lived, to the streets of war torn Britain. You cannot knock level of effort that has gone into the production side of this performance.

It truly drew you into the atmosphere of a dark and deprived time of 1940s Britain, leaving you wondering what they had install next. The costumes were also visually stunning, all set from the period from which the story was told and left you longing for more.

The dancers themselves were extremely highly skilled. There were standout performances from Cordelia Braithwaite, playing Cinderella and Paris Fitzpatrick playing the Angel. Both dancers for me had the standout performance of the night.

Don’t get me wrong, each of the dancers on that stage gave it their all. They were all masterful in their routines, which had shown that hour upon hour of practice and rehearsal truly does pay off, not only in their dancing but also their acting ability without even saying a word.

With such skilful dancers, an amazing set, a brilliant concept of a classic fairy-tale, I’m going to be honest and say that it was just somewhat lacking something, which I cannot for the life of me, put my finger on. Nearly every dance show that I have ever seen has left me inspired to want to dance. You get those goose bumps seeing the dancers perform a routine that leaves you breathless.

You find yourself holding your breath at the sheer composition of the dance, the music and the set all coming together at a pinnacle moment, where all you can say is wow. That is something I did not get here.

I enjoyed the show. I thought it was entertaining and all the right elements are there for a great show. I’m sure anyone who goes to see this show will very much enjoy themselves and what they have seen. It is a great story told in a completely different way which is worth a watch for that reason if nothing else.

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday February 17. Tickets for the show can be booked by calling the box office on 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes