Merlin Music Society Review February 2006

La Cenerentola

The Merlin concert on Thursday February 9th was Rossini's "La Cenerentola", staged at the Blake Theatre by the Garden Opera company. It's the story of Cinderella, described as "the triumph of love over malice": a theme always relevant in human life, no matter how old the story!

The production brought the classic story into the 21st century, with modern props and set including a washing machine and mobile phones. It was set in English, and Rossini's music was punctuated by scenes of pantomime, with humorous costumes such as the ugly stepsisters' pyjama, corset and rugby kit ensembles. The six-piece band was on the stage alongside the set, making the music part of the action in a delightful way. Appearances of the cast out of the tumble drier added to both the magic and comedy. The singing was generally good, though Cinderella herself shone out both in the beauty of her singing and in her acting.

In Act I, we saw the miserable Cinderella being bullied by her stepsisters and their father. There is real nastiness as well as amusing jokes. The prince and his servant change roles so that the prince is able to observe the sisters' true character, and the grovelling of the rest of the family to the false prince and their rudeness to the real prince, masquerading as a servant, added force to their dismissal of Cinderella as a "mere" servant. All is made well in Act II not by a fairy godmother but by a wise adviser, Alidoro, and his magic. Cinderella and the prince live happily ever after, and she publicly forgives her family.

Charlotte Mansell