Matthew Bourne's dazzling Cinderella opens in Beijing this week

Image: Johan Persson

The acclaimed choreographer's Blitz-set Cinderella makes its debut

Putting an unexpected spin on a classic dance tale is Sir Matthew Bourne’s signature move, and this is why in his rendition, we have Cinderella – Mousy Cinders – living through the London Blitz. This makes more sense than you might suppose – Prokofiev wrote his Cinderella score during the Second World War and there’s a dark undertow to the music, which Bourne picks out skilfully.

Image: Johan Persson

Mousy Cinders has a houseful of grotesque step-siblings to deal with, as well as a thoroughly awful stepmother. Her Prince is an injured airman who stumbles through their front door, but then is lost again in the chaos of an air raid. Knocked out by a bomb blast, Cinders dreams of dancing and romance with him at the grand ball she wasn’t invited to.

Lez Brotherston's superbly evocative sets and Neil Austin's clever lighting move us seamlessly from scene to scene – most hauntingly from ravaged London streets to the devastated Café de Paris, which transforms into the scene of the ball through a reverse-time sequence.

Image: Johan Persson

A satin-suited angel replaces the traditional Fairy Godmother – a Powell and Pressburger nod amid many classic film references. And there are some lovely dance touches – lovestruck Cinders’s dance with her pilot in mannequin form is exquisitely done, and a Salvation Army pair brandishing tambourines cheekily evoke the national dances in Frederick Ashton’s famous Cinderella.

Although the brilliant opening gives way to some filler scenes and plot confusions, Bourne's stunning choreography along with Prokofiev's classic score ensures that this Cinderella has enough romance, fantasy and fun to keep us hooked.

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella plays at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center from Tuesday 7 to Sunday 12. Tickets are 99-880RMB. For more stage events in Beijing, hit 'Read more'.

More from Time Out Beijing