Astana Opera to stage Cinderella Jan 17-18
Indescribable emotions from the ballet company’s performance to Sergei Prokofiev’s delightful music, performed by the opera house’s symphony orchestra, await the viewers. As well as the opportunity to see unique sets, costumes and props, created by sought-after theatrical designers, including a moving two-meter stiletto shoe, invented by set designer Yoko Seyama, the press service of Astana Opera informs.
Cinderella was added to the opera house’s repertoire at the end of last year and aroused great interest among the audience. The main idea of Raimondo Rebeck, known for his non-standard approach to his productions, was to modernize the beloved fairytale. The production team not only changed the circumstances and time in which the events take place, but also further developed personalities and motivations of the main characters. Cinderella is now an aspiring fashion designer and the Prince is a composer, both seeking self-expression and recognition of their talents.
An unusual take on the plot, familiar since childhood, required a radical revision of the design. Any of the opera house’s production workshops, all headed by deputy director Victor Carare, can tell about how the process of creating the sets happens. However, the first stages of work always begin with Astana Opera’s Department for the Implementation of Scenic Projects and Production Work. Malika Tulegenova revealed the secrets of creating a carriage-shoe for a new take on the old fairytale.
«The preparation of any production begins with sketches, which are handed over to us by set designers. The finished shoe is the very last stage of all this work, its crowning glory. However, in order to create a product, you need to study it, plan it, build the schemes, calculate all dimensions, loads, understand what it is made of and how it will function.»
«This shoe is not a static set piece, but a means of transportation. Not a carriage, in fact, but a car with a special manual mechanism controlled by a ‘driver’.»
«To prevent Cinderella’s vehicle from rolling off the stage or running into other scenery, it was necessary to take into account the trajectory of its movement, as well as teach the performers to cope with a simple, but very particular apparatus. This required more than one rehearsal,» Malika Tulegenova said.
Another difficult task was to reproduce the form of the shoe, drawn by the designer in the sketch. To do this, polyurethane patterns were applied to the metal frame and the base, made of fiberglass and painted the desired color.
A multifunctional double-sided staircase became a large and complex structure, which, due to its mobility, performed different roles in different scenes.
The props for the ballet Cinderella are very entertaining. The production ‘absorbed’ elements of different eras. A sense of magic is given by the use of color-changing LED garlands in dresses on wheels. The fairytale contains a golden tape recorder made of plywood, an old-fashioned photo camera, headphones with a crown on them. The opera house’s specialists created real functional furniture that can be easily placed in any royal palace.
The mountain of clothes that Cinderella’s household members throw her for washing is of great research interest. A huge pile of clothing was made of leftover fabrics, sewn onto a specially designed structure. With the help of metal rings of different diameters, interconnected by ribbons that lift the structure up, it grows before the audience’s eyes.
The opera house’s repertoire is a living organism. Each new performance is not like the others. Thanks to the debuts, the production develops and changes, and gets filled with new zest. Even if you have already had an opportunity to attend the premiere in October featuring world stars Bakhtiyar Adamzhan and Aigerim Beketayeva, who will also take the stage on these performance days, along with them, new Cinderella and the Prince will appear. On different days, they will be performed by young up-and-coming dancers with great potential, Shugyla Adepkhan and Galymzhan Nurmukhamet, who will not leave the viewers indifferent.
Photo: Astana Opera`s press service