Review: Northern Ballet’s Cinderella at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Invited: Reviewed by Catherine Salkeld on October 28, 2026

This was the UK premiere of Michael Pink’s version of Prokofiev’s Cinderella, created for the Milwaukee Ballet in 2009. The audience that filled the Theatre Royal had been promised “a fairytale brought to life”, and this production did not disappoint.

The curtains opened to an atmospheric scene of Cinderella’s mother’s funeral, with her future stepmother and stepsisters already an ominous presence. We quickly moved to Cinderella’s house, where we were introduced to Harris Beattie as Jack, the houseboy. He was a charming addition to the usual characters, and acted as a protector to Cinderella: at times a playful brotherly figure distracting her from the mistreatment from her stepmother and stepsisters, and at times a guardian angel connecting her to the spirit of her mother.

This was another change to the usual cast of characters: the transformation of the fairy godmother into the spirit of Cinderella’s recently deceased mother, played by Heather Lehan, watching over her at key points in the action, and appearing to her to provide everything she needed to go to the ball. This scene was magical, with Cinderella walking through the fireplace into a fairytale garden, where the spirits of the four seasons in their ethereal costumes were a particular highlight.

The costumes were sumptuous, and enhanced the characterisation effectively. Cinderella began in rags of muted tones, her hair and make-up similarly restrained, which made her transformation into a glittering princess all the more dazzling. The stepmother was austere in a gothic-inspired dress, black wig, and dark make-up, enhancing her menacing qualities. She was nonetheless not as wicked as one might expect, embodying a bossy and nagging mother prioritising her own flesh and blood over her stepdaughter rather than a deeply malicious villain. Alessia Petrosino displayed an impressive level of authority and belligerence in spite of her diminutive stature, while leaving the real villainry to the stepsisters.

The stepsisters were played by Yu Wakizuka and Andrew Tomlinson en travesti and were delightfully mischievous, bordering on a pantomime level of nastiness while maintaining a roguish charm. The stepsisters were characterised as individuals as well as working brilliantly together as a pair: Wakizuka’s Lucretia was the cheekier and more decorous sister, while Tomlinson’s Prunella was the more lumbering and vulgar one, and appeared to be the main instigator of their bullying of Cinderella. Tomlinson’s comical portrayal of Prunella’s fragile state the morning after the ball deserves a special mention. Their characters were reflected in their wonderfully gaudy costumes and over-the-top make-up and wigs. One cannot help but wonder whether the combination of pink and green was a nod for contemporary audiences to the colour scheme of Wicked.

The set was simple but effective, with the most impressive aspect by far being Cinderella’s sparkling carriage. Much of the atmosphere was created by the lighting rather than physical elements.

As was to be expected, the ball scene was a highlight, with the stepsisters, aided by their mother, hilariously cavorting around to try to get the prince’s attention while he tried his best to politely ignore them. Their clumsiness was choreographed and executed to perfection! Jonathan Hanks as the prince was suitably charming, and the perfect host for the ball. He portrayed the prince’s mesmerised response to his first glimpse of Cinderella beautifully, and proceeded to whisk her into a spellbinding pas de deux.

Cinderella herself was played to breathtaking perfection by Saeka Shirai, portraying her meek submission turning to an unexpected hint of feistiness as she stood up to her stepsisters’ bullying, and sweeping the audience off their feet with her grace at the ball.

^{Photo credit: Tristram Kenton}

Almost as wonderful as the ball scene was the prince’s quest to find the owner of the lost glass slipper. While some of Prokofiev’s intentions for this to be an epic voyage around the world were perhaps lost, the variety and humour in the attempts of each character to cram a foot into the slipper made up for it. The stepsisters were riotously funny in their efforts, particularly when the stepmother intervened with a thoroughly unexpected and extreme suggestion! This prompted Cinderella to reveal the matching slipper and allow the prince to fit the lost one perfectly onto her foot. As is usually the case in this story, a glittering wedding was swiftly arranged, and this served as a fittingly opulent finale to a wonderful evening.

Cinderella runs at Newcastle Theatre Royal until 31st October 2026. Tickets available from theatreroyal.co.uk