ENB, Wheeldon's Cinderella-in-the-round, RAH

Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella is glorious. It is full of colour, magic, humour and romance. Originally a co-production by Dutch National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, it was created for a proscenium theatre and premiered in Amsterdam in 2012. After acquiring it, though, English National Ballet asked Wheeldon to adapt it to be danced in the round, to follow the company's tradition of bringing established ballets to the vast arena of the Royal Albert Hall.

On the whole, Cinderella-in-the-round works beautifully. The ball scene in particular, where a magically apparelled Cinderella appears and wins Prince Guillaume's heart, makes the most of the Hall's fine architecture and decoration to give the illusion of a sumptuous ballroom.

English National Ballet in Cinderella. Photo: © Laurent Liotardo
Earlier, Cinderella communes with a variety of cute creatures of the forest, and for the Seasons scene the arena is flooded with the colours of spring, summer, autumn and winter in a whirlwind of dance.

Wheeldon introduces elements which are not seen in the Ashton version, the new production of which was one of the highlights of the winter period at Covent Garden. So the Prince has a best friend, Benjamin, and there's much playful interaction between the two, including swapping clothes to fool the young women. Cinderella's sisters are not grotesques, but rather two spoilt but not evil girls, one of whom, Clementine, ends up marrying Benjamin.

There's no fairy godmother; rather Wheeldon opts for the spirit of a tree as Cinderella's protector. And the central transformation scene is a brilliant piece of magic.

If anything, it's the intimate scenes that don't work so well in the round, as the relatively small number of dancers on stage are dwarfed by the vast space around them. Keep your eyes fixed on the hearth for the first encounter between Cinderella and the Prince who visits her home disguised as a beggar – this takes place in a dark corner of the arena and is easily missed.

That said, Wheeldon's detailed choreography is a delight, and here's plenty of plot and characterisation to drive the story along with some thrilling dancing. Prokofiev's transporting score is played live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic.

Age Guidance: 8+