From September 18 to 23, 2025, the stage of Teatro La Fenice will host one of the masterpieces of 20th-century ballet: Cinderella by Sergei Prokofiev, performed by the prestigious Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.
Composed between 1941 and 1944 at the request of the Kirov Theatre in St. Petersburg, Cinderella premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1945, choreographed by Rostislav Zakharov. Based on Charles Perrault’s beloved fairy tale and a scenario by Nikolai Volkov, Prokofiev’s score masterfully blends lyrical passages reminiscent of Tchaikovsky with touches of irony, moving fluidly between magical wonder and biting social satire.
Over the decades, the ballet has been reimagined by choreographic giants such as Frederick Ashton, Maguy Marin, Rudolf Nureyev, and John Neumeier. In 1999, Jean-Christophe Maillot, director and choreographer of the Ballets de Monte Carlo, offered his own interpretation: one that highlights the comic — though never grotesque — portrayal of the stepmother, stepsisters, and the prince’s court, trapped in a cult of artificial beauty, while emphasizing the profoundly human core of the fairy tale, an initiatory journey from adolescence to adulthood.
At La Fenice, this production will be enriched by the live performance of the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice, conducted by Igor Dronov, bringing Prokofiev’s rich and multifaceted score to life.
An extraordinary encounter between music, dance, and timeless storytelling awaits in Venice: a Cinderella both magical and deeply human.
Website: www.teatrolafenice.it
Location: La Fenice Opera House
Schedule: Sep. 18 – 23, 2025
