This Month in BM History: November 2016
Lisa Macuja-Elizalde makes a guest appearance as the Fairy Godmother. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Cinderella (Abigail Oliveiro) and the Prince (Mark Sumaylo) have their first dance in this scene from the premiere run of Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Cinderella. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Magical. Entertaining. Funny. These were the items that Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde ticked off her list as she was making the choreography for Cinderella in 2016. Her version of the beloved fairytale premiered in November that year, kicking off her Princess Trilogy that would also later include Snow White and The Sleeping Beauty.
Ballerinas Katherine Barkman, Dawna Reign Mangahas and Abigail Oliveiro stepped into the glass slippers of Cinderella for the ballet’s premiere run, with danseurs Rudy De Dios, Alfren Salgado and Mark Sumaylo as their respective princes. Macuja-Elizalde herself made a guest appearance as the Fairy Godmother in some performances, alternating with company artist Anindya Febrina.
Katherine Barkman as the transformed Cinderella is whisked off to the ball in a magical stage coach. Photo by Ocs Alvarez
Cinderella proved to be a real spectacle with the addition of new characters, such as mice, frogs and a racoon that added to the show’s enchanting flavor, the use of visual effects and devices, fabulous costumes (even one that transformed from a housedress to a gown in one whirl of the ballerina) and a set that included a magnificent stagecoach.
One scene that proved to be a big hit was when the Prince, having found the glass slipper Cinderella left behind, goes on a search for the elusive lass. Accompanied by an entourage, he enters the theater and chooses a few girls seated in the audience to try on the shoe. Of course, it fits none of them, and the Prince makes his way to the stage to continue looking for the girl he had fallen in love with.
A newspaper item shares behind-the-scenes stories in the making of Cinderella. Clipping from the Ballet Manila Archives collection
