Cinderella Profiles: The Stepsisters

How do you make dancers ugly and ungainly? Frederick Ashton solved the problem by having his Stepsisters played by men in drag and clownish prosthetics (in the original version of his production, he and Robert Helpmann played the roles, drawing on the English vaudeville tradition). Ratmansky has choreographed brilliant slapstick routines for the Stepsisters – tripping all over themselves (and the dance master) in their dancing lessons, showing off cringe-worthy moves in the ballroom and of course, falling foul of that just-won’t-fit slipper!

Jerôme Kaplan’s hilarious costumes for the Stepsisters do part of the work for Ratmansky. In the original Russian libretto for Cinderella, the Stepsisters are called Skinny and Dumpy, a tradition that Ratmansky has followed in his production. Kaplan uses balloon skirts to make the two sisters into a beanpole and a pumpkin, then adds knee socks under their pointe shoes, towering wigs and garish make-up to make two visions only a Stepmother could love.

Prokofiev also comes to the party. Music Director and Chief Conductor Nicolette Fraillon says, “Whenever they come on stage it’s very comic because Prokofiev uses the lowest instruments of the orchestra: tuba and contra bassoon, combinations of instruments that together sound clumsy and stupid, because that’s what the girls are. And rhythmically he puts a fast melody on the trumpet, resulting in an awkward, humorous sound.”