Just as the Prince traversed the globe to locate the tiny foot that fit that iconic glass slipper, Adam McKinney, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s artistic director, embarked on a mission to find his “Cinderella” – and, a half dozen “Cinderellas” later, he did – in Montréal.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presents the U.S. premiere of Australian choreographer Jayne Smeulders’ two-act fairy tale “Cinderella,” accompanied by the PBT Orchestra, May 17-19 at the Benedum Center.
“I am super excited about this version and about bringing it to PBT,” says McKinney, who was appointed PBT’s director in March 2023. He was immediately tasked to find a “Cinderella” production to conclude the 2023-24 season, as the ballet had been announced previously, but no specific production was under contract.
PBT’s repertoire has acquired three productions over its 54-year history, but McKinney opted for a fresh take on the tale of a young girl mistreated by a cruel stepmother and stepsisters who marries into happily-ever-after.
His search led to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and the North American premiere of Smeulders’ 2011 version created for the Perth-based West Australian Ballet.
“We will be the first in the U.S. to present this production, which offers the opportunity for other companies to follow suit,” and underscores “what people expect of PBT – artistic excellence and high production values,” he says.
McKinney was impressed by the newly redesigned production’s “magnificent” sets and 150 contemporary chic costumes, with their $800,000 (Canadian) price tag. But his artistic sensibilities were captivated by the nuances in Cinderella’s characterization, the layers to Smeulders’ storytelling and her coaching perspective.
“Cinderella” was Smeulders’ first full-length undertaking.
“I had been doing small works for the (West Australian) company. I felt supported to take on the responsibility,” says Smeulders, its award-winning former principal dancer, who was offered the project by then-Artistic Director Ivan Cavallari, who now directs Les Grands.
“I was familiar with (Sir Frederick) Ashton’s version and had seen a few modern interpretations, but I was not into that,” she says.
Smeulders preferred to develop characters, build her tale of good triumphing over adversity within a traditional framework (which would “sell better to conservative audiences,” she notes) and accompany it with Sergei Prokofiev’s 1944 score. She later interpolated an excerpt from his “Classical Symphony” (“Symphony No.1, op. 25”).
“The score is magical. It speaks for itself. I found that was really helpful when I was choreographing the ballet. All I had to do was listen to the music and for me, that’s where my movement comes from – it always stems from the music,” Smeulders has previously stated.
Smeulders initially weighed Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella; or the Little Glass Slipper” (1634) against the Brothers Grimm’s “Aschenputtel” (1812) before selecting the latter version of the story, which employs avian assistance to propel the storyline.
“Cinderella is kind, humble – everything that is good in the world. I wanted to use birds – Hope, Faith and Charity,” says Smeulders, to embody the qualities Cinderella’s mother instilled in her.
These magical birds replace the fairies seen in some productions and provide a thematic thread that weaves through the costume and set designs.
“Jayne is very quick in terms of creating choreography. Her process is a collaboration between choreographer and artist,” says André Santos, who originated the roles of Hope, a Young Prince and the Jeweler in the West Australian production. Santos is a first soloist with Les Grands and is Smeulders’ assistant for the PBT restaging.
“It took about six weeks in the studio to (initially) create the ballet. I wanted to make the dancers enjoy dancing and give them goals on storytelling, not just tell them what to do and how to do it,” Smeulders says.
As in “Aschenputtel,” she drew Cinderella’s two stepsisters – Isabella and Anastasia – as beautiful of face, but at heart “mean, ugly and awful.” She dispensed with the British pantomime tradition of men “en travesti” (dressed as women) in favor of casting women. However, she retained their outrageous slapstick antics.
“I gave them quite a lot of space,” which afforded each dancer the opportunity to “develop the character the way she wanted to. Every dancer will do the role her own way,” she says, adding that for Cinderella, “I’ve kept her steps simple in the beginning and they become (progressively) more complicated.”
For the 2023 Montréal restaging, Cavallari requested additions to accommodate a larger cast. So Smeulders created roles for lovebirds and unicorns, which are included in the PBT production. (PBT’s cast is augmented with students from its graduate program and school.) Cavallari also suggested changing the time period from the 1930s to a non-specific era.
Although the original choreography remains intact, “It looks like an entirely different production,” says Smeulders, who is in Pittsburgh for the performances and will be taking notes during the run. The U.S. premiere may lead to new opportunities, but she says, “That depends on PBT.”
“I hope the audience finds magic in the story and that they laugh at the stepsisters.”
“Aschenputtel” ends with pigeons pecking out the stepsisters’ eyes, but Smeulders says, “I left out that part. This is a family show.”
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre performs “Cinderella” with the PBT Orchestra at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (237 Seventh St.) May 17-19. Tickets
