Although inspired by Perrault's fairy tale, Jules Massenet's Cendrillon joyfully diverges from it: there is no pumpkin or carriage, and even less of a fairy slipper to be tried on. What is the point, since Cinderella and Prince Charming recognise each other immediately? Do they not share the same loneliness despite their different social positions? In choosing female voices for these two roles, Massenet underlines their kindred souls in a seductive score that deliberately combines styles. Mariame Clément handles the work with great sensitivity. The director plays with clichés and the Belle Époque - the era in which the score was created - with allusions to the Fée Électricité and the cinema of Méliès. A means to reflect on the myth and social conventions... whilst preserving a childlike soul.

CHARACTERS:

Cendrillon (Lucette): Pandolfe’s daughter and Madame de La Haltière’s stepdaughter 
Madame de La Haltière: Cendrillon’s stepmother Mother to Noémie and Dorothée 
Le Prince Charmant 
La Fée: Cendrillon’s godmother 
Noémie: Cendrillon’s stepsister 
Dorothée: Cendrillon’s stepsister 
Pandolfe: Cendrillon’s father, a widower and now married to Madame de La Haltière 
Le Roi  

Duration: 3h00 with 1 interval

Language: French

Subtitle: French / English

Subject to change.