One of his most-loved productions, Sir Matthew's interpretation of the classic fairytale is set in London during the Second World War. A chance meeting results in a magical night for Cinderella and her dashing young RAF pilot, together just long enough to fall in love before being parted by the horrors of the Blitz. Sir Matthew's vivid storytelling has never been more heart-stopping and touching, and will take the audience into the heart of Prokofiev's magnificent score, and the sights and sounds of war-torn London.
Sir Matthew says the wartime setting was suggested by that score: "Lurking beneath the fairytale magic, there beats a darker heart with real emotions and dramatic longing. Prokofiev's Cinderella was premiered at the Bolshoi in 1946, but I was intrigued to hear that Prokofiev had actually written the score during the Second World War, and this got me thinking.
"Was this dark period in our history, somehow captured within the music? I felt that it was, and the more I delved into the Cinderella story, it seemed to work so well in the wartime setting. Darkly romantic in tone, it speaks of a period when time was everything, love was found and lost suddenly and the world danced as if there was no tomorrow."
Photo Credit : Johan Persson
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
CINDERELLA by Prokofiev ; Directed by Mathew Bourne ; Designed by Lez Brotherston ; at the Saddlers Wells Theatre, London, UK ; 23 November 2017 ; Credit : Johan Persson /
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