Cinderella (Prokofiev)

Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet *Cinderella* (Op. 87) was set to a scenario by Nikolai Volkov. Composed between 1940 and 1944, the work was interrupted while Prokofiev wrote his opera *War and Peace*. Premiering on 21 November 1945 at the Bolshoi Theatre, it was conducted by Yuri Fayer, with choreography by Rostislav Zakharov and Galina Ulanova dancing the title role. Known for its cheerful music, lavish sets, and comic double-roles for the stepmother and stepsisters—often played by men in drag—the ballet treats these characters as more foolish than cruel.

**Story**

**Act I** Cinderella is forced to serve her domineering stepmother and two stepsisters as they prepare for the Spring Ball, where the Prince is expected to choose a bride. While making a new shawl, the stepsisters quarrel, tearing it in two, then storm off. The stepmother orders Cinderella to clean up and finish her chores. Her father returns from business but, still grieving his first wife’s death, is too weak to defy the stepmother. When a beggar woman appears seeking shelter, the family tries to drive her away, but Cinderella offers her a place by the fire and an old pair of slippers. The beggar thanks her and leaves. After the family departs for the ball, Cinderella dances with a broom, imagining the Prince. The beggar returns, now revealing herself as a fairy godmother. She transforms the slippers into glass dancing shoes, turns Cinderella’s rags into a gown, a pumpkin and mice into a carriage and horses, and grasshoppers and dragonflies into footmen. She warns that the magic will end at midnight, leaving only the glass slippers. Twelve dwarfs will appear to repeat the warning if Cinderella lingers. She then leaves for the ball.

**Act II** At the Spring Ball, the stepsisters try and fail to impress the court. The Prince, bored with formal events and unwilling to marry without love, refuses to dance—especially with the obnoxious sisters. When Cinderella arrives, transformed into a beautiful princess, the Prince is captivated and asks her to dance. She wins over the court with her grace. During refreshments, the Prince gives her one of three imported oranges; she offers the other two to her stepsisters, who do not recognize her. The couple walks in the royal gardens, dancing and declaring their love. As they return for the next waltz, Cinderella forgets the time. At midnight, the twelve dwarfs spring from the clock to remind her. Fearing exposure as a servant in rags, she flees, losing a glass slipper. The Prince, heartbroken, vows to find her.

**Act III** The next morning, the Prince summons every shoemaker in the kingdom, but none claim to have made the slipper. Concluding the princess must be from abroad, he searches the Mediterranean, the Orient, and beyond.