Cinderella, February 17, 2013, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center

This family performance by Atlanta Ballet had one strike against it from the get-go: Prokofiev was not at his best when he wrote the score to this ballet. It has some fantastic moments, but, having performed to the full score in the past, I find it to be largely uninspiring. The choreographer, Donald Mahler, also did not do us any favors in what he kept when whittling it down to the 70-minute run time. 

The dancers were all from the Atlanta Ballet Fellowship Ensemble and did a creditable job with both the choreography and the character dancing. Rebekah Diaddigo played the Stepmother just right, with Madison Donaldson and Savannah O'Connor as the spoiled and selfish Stepsisters. Xiwen Li was a radiant Cinderella and the highlight of the show, while Kelly Prather was a regal but slightly stiff Fairy Godmother. Kaleb Elmore, as the Prince, is promising but needs more time to develop.

I can only speculate as to the reason (not enough costumes?), but there were only 3 couples at the "Grand Ball." Not very grand, and it dragged on and on. The dancing clock that announced midnight was a cute touch, but otherwise there was not much memorable about the choreography. The final verdict, though, is that my four-year-old daughter loved being at the theater. They could have been doing just about anything on the stage and she would have been thrilled, but it made the trip worthwhile.