SF Ballet's "Cinderella"

San Francisco Ballet's production of Cinderella, Prokofiev's 1945 ballet, has been revived this week with Isaac Hernández as The Prince and Misa Kuranaga as Cinderella in the opening night cast last Friday. (Production photos by Lindsay Thomas)

The 10-year-old production was conceived by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, designer Julian Crouch, and puppeteer Basil Twist, and it's one of the most creatively lavish sets ever seen at the War Memorial Opera House, with a tree growing onstage until it literally glows psychedelically midway through the first act.

They took liberties with the original libretto, adding a sorrowful backstory for the heroine and a best friend for The Prince with whom he occasionally swaps clothing to fool all the matrimonial-minded ladies who have their eyes on a royal wedding. This makes for a few stretches where the music doesn't really fit with the danced scenario, but it mostly does not matter. In this version, Misa Kuranaga is transformed from a chimney sweep servant girl into a glamorous creature riding a magic coach via The Fates and various Spirits of the Season rather than the Fairy Godmother.

The scene-stealing comic roles of the ballet are the Wicked Stepmother (Jennifer Stahl) and Stepsisters (Elizabeth Powell and Ellen Rose Hummel). The comedy lies in expert dancers being ridiculous while trying to achieve complicated balletic feats and going regularly askew.

One of the additional joys of this particular cast were the brothers Hernández, Isaac and Esteban, playing cross-dressing best friends. Their playful duets together were highlights of the evening. (Pictured at curtain call are, left to right, Misa Kuranaga, Anita Paciotti as Queen Charlotte, Isaac Hernández, Elizabeth Powell, and Esteban Hernández,)

The three-act ballet also provides roles for virtually the entire company, with principal dancers leading small groups as the four seasons, and Wei Wang upstaging everyone with his exuberant Summer Spirit of Generosity.

The real glory of the evening for me was Prokofiev's large orchestral score which is endlessly inventive. The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra under conductor Martin West has been playing extraordinarily well this season, and they did this music justice.