INTERVIEW: Matthew Bourne Talks About Cinderella

Sir Matthew Bourne

Sir Matthew Bourne talks about New Adventures and their re-telling of the classic story Cinderella which is touring the UK. The most striking aspect of this re-telling of the Cinderella story is the setting. Why did you choose to set the world’s most famous fairy tale during the London Blitz in 1940? I first fell in love with Prokofiev’s score through watching Frederick Ashton’s version of the ballet for The Royal Ballet. Although composed as a fairy-tale piece, in the style of the great Tchaikovsky ballets, such as “The Sleeping Beauty”, it has Prokofiev’s particular 20th century musical personality stamped all over it. True, it has Grand Waltzes, Fairy variations, mazurka’s and “national” dances, in the manner of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet works, but lurking beneath the fairy-tale magic, there beats a darker heart with real emotions and dramatic longing. These are the features of Prokofiev’s music that keep you … Read more