Cendrillon

Music by Jules Massenet

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

In contrast with Rossini’s version, the glass slipper is back in this French grand opera rendition of one of the most beloved fairy tales, based on Charles Perrault’s Cinderella.

Here, Massenet lets us see a daughter’s immense grief—at the loss of her mother, their home, and her place in the family after her father’s remarriage. Yet her remarkable ability to not only survive but to forgive allows her to ultimately triumph.

Who can resist the desire to believe that dreams really can come true and to cheer for our heroine as she overcomes the abuse of her stepfamily to find her soulmate? (And who couldn’t use a Fairy Godmother?)